


Pull Your Punches

by Ktrivia



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: ALL OF THE DADDY JOKES, AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Fluff, Awkward Erwin, Boxer Levi, Boxing, Childhood Friends, Dark Past, Diners, Dysfunctional Family, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Issues, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, It's fun to terrorise Erwin, Milkshakes, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Smut, Trainer Erwin, daddy jokes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2018-08-11 14:46:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7896778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ktrivia/pseuds/Ktrivia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Moving to a new city should have been scary, could have been lonely, but thanks to your giant of a childhood friend, it was easy. </p><p>He trained some of the best boxers in the world, one of whom just happened to be the man whose poster you had on your bedroom walls when younger. His pictures did him no justice though, much better in the flesh than you could ever have imagined. </p><p>To find out he had the same penchant for winding your friend up was a surprise, something you did for fun and relaxation. But this was just for entertainment, it wouldn't ever come to anything, it couldn't. Would it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Start

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I apologize for the extended period between chapters. Life can be a bit of a bitch sometimes.  
> I did have a question for everyone though!  
> I'm considering starting to write a book. I have a few ideas on premises and plots but I haven't decided what to go with yet. Do you guys think I could write one? Do you think my writing and story telling skills would be good enough to write one? I am fully aware I have a lot to work on skill wise but I want people's opinions on this

_Why is it that flights make you feel gross and sticky_? This was the thought that ran through your mind as you traipsed through the airport to baggage claim. The flight had been a long one, but you kept telling yourself it was for a good reason. Your job had just been transferred across the country due to a promotion you received. Luckily enough, one of your oldest childhood friends, Erwin Smith, lived in the city you were moving to.

  
You had missed Erwin. You had both met each other in grade school when he defended you against a bully when you were in second grade and him in fifth. Erwin became like an older brother to you and he introduced you to his beloved sport of boxing. At first it was just a tactic to get you to learn self-defense, but in time you grew to love boxing as well. It kept you out of your house when things would go bad. Throughout your years in middle and high school, both you and Erwin were the top boxers in your local gym. Life continued on like this for a while until Erwin had to leave for college. Pursuing a career in business, he went across the country on a boxing scholarship, while you remained home alone. Without Erwin there you began to lose interest in boxing and didn’t have someone there who could keep you away from your family. You knew you couldn’t blame Erwin for following his dreams, but you still couldn’t get over the fact that he left you alone with your horrid family.

The spare time in your life led to you embracing the arts, more specifically drawing. At first it was a form of escapism you used to be free of whatever horrors were occurring at home but after a few years in turned into something more. You pursued this avenue further, went through college, and proceeded to get a job at a comic company. At first you had just been on the drawing side of the comics but within a couple of months the editors at the company began to recognize your potential within the industry. This was the reason you were now in this new city. You had been transferred to company headquarters to assist with both the writing and drawing aspects of a new comic strip for the morning newspapers.

Upon hearing that you were being transferred to the same city Erwin resided in, you decided to take a chance and reach out to him. Shockingly enough, he had replied within minutes and demanded that he pick you up from the airport when you arrived.

Glancing around the busy baggage claim area you searched for an unmistakable pair of cobalt eyes and the furry caterpillars Erwin called eyebrows. Your search didn’t reveal the man so you walked over to the conveyor belt to wait for your bag. You watched suitcases and duffle bags rotate around on the conveyor belt a couple of times before you finally saw your larger suitcase. As it inched in front of you, you began to reach for the bag only to see a tan, muscular forearm reach out and grab it instead.

“Excuse me but what the hell do you think you’re doi-“ your sentence cut off as you looked up at the man next to you holding your bag. Erwin had always been tall and muscular, but he must have put on at least thirty pounds of lean muscle during college and grown another four inches. He chuckled as you stared at him, mouth agape, in shock.

“Hello Y/N. It’s a pleasure to see you, as always,” he said to you with a twinkle of humor in his eyes.

“Erwin?” you questioned, still slightly flabbergasted. Your gaze took in the large man who wore a sensible vest and khaki pants, with what appeared to be dress shoes.

“Were you expecting someone else?”

“Well no but, but,” you sputtered, “Damn boxing has done you well.”

Erwin laughed at your candidness with a nod and motioned for you to follow him to his car. Once your bags were loaded into the trunk of his sensible car you both got into the front seats.

“I need to stop by my gym before we get lunch and I drop you off at your apartment. There’s this great diner in town that has the best milkshakes on earth. Is that ok?” he asked peering at you out of the corner of his eye. You thought for a second trying to recall why Erwin was referencing a gym before you remembered he currently owned a boxing gym. According to him, in your few conversations you had in the past couple of years, he was currently one of the top trainers in the world and had many of the best athletes currently training under him.

“Of course it’s no problem and milkshakes sound perfect,” you told him with a small smile. “I’d love to see it actually. I still can’t believe you put that business degree to use by opening a gym. Here I figured you’d go and be the CEO of some billion dollar company by now.”

Erwin let out a small chuckle. “I did consider it for a while, but I realized that my heart was and always will be in boxing and not a small office. As uptight and proper as I’ve always seemed, I do need to let loose and let out my aggression in some form.”

You thought about this and recalled one of the times Erwin had defended you from your brother in high school. While you were perfectly capable of defending yourself, Erwin had stepped forward first and socked him in the jaw. Rather than step back and walk away while he was down, Erwin continued to kick and punch him. You had been shocked for a moment before you reacted and started to try and pull Erwin off of your brother. While you always had wanted to see your brother get a taste of his own medicine, you knew that this was just too much. For a few seconds it seemed like Erwin was completely unaware of your efforts to halt his brutality, but once you started screaming his name he finally broke through whatever haze had descended over the normally calm man.

“Yeah I remember.” You told him with a slight grimace appearing on you face. Trying to think of a change in topic you glanced out the window only to see a billboard for an upcoming boxing match in the area.

“So who are you training now that’re in the big leagues? I know you always have someone from the top tiers.” Erwin had generally been hush hush regarding who he was training at the current time but he always let one or two slip when you talked.

“At the moment the top tier athletes I have are Mike Zacharias, the reigning Heavyweight world champion, Mikasa Ackerman, reigning Welterweight world champion, and Annie Leonhart, up and coming Bantamweight competitor. Those are my top boxers at the moment, there are others that are up and comers whom I expect to make a large breakthrough into the world championship scene in the coming years. Oh and Levi Ackerman is also under my training.”

You had been nodding along with him until he got to the final name.

“Levi Ackerman? As in _the_ Levi Ackerman who is the reigning Welterweight world champion and three time Olympic gold medalist? The man whose poster I had hanging in my room for years during middle school?” You questioned. You had been a fan of Levi’s for years even during his college days. He was considered one of the best boxers in the history of the sport and even though he had become older than most of his competition, he still out boxed them all. You had a poster of Levi hanging up in your bedroom for years, until your father had ripped it down one day in a fit of rage.

Erwin gave you a sheepish glance before looking back to the road and shrugging.

“He tends to draw a lot of attention if he’s recognized in public so we generally keep his name quiet when he’s in town. Obviously you haven’t been watching the matches recently, because if you were you would have seen me ringside coaching him during breaks in between rounds.” Erwin explained. Now it was your turn to look sheepish. You had sworn off boxing basically all together and that included watching the top matches on television.

“Yeah well you knew I had called it quits with boxing. I didn’t even realize Levi was still competing. He’s getting a bit old for this sport isn’t he?” you pondered. A smirk appeared on Erwin’s face.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had seen him box recently. People have begun to call him ‘History’s strongest boxer.’” He explained. Before you could question him further the car pulled to a stop in front of a brick building with a large sign on the front that said, “Strong as a Titan Gym.” As you got out of the vehicle you glanced at Erwin with a small smile.

“So I see the Titan mantra has stuck with you all this time,” you observed. When you had first started training alongside Erwin, you weren’t the strongest kid in the gym. At first, you would leave practices sporting large bruises and aches. You had approached Erwin after a while and told him you were going to quit as you didn’t need additional marks to the ones you received at home. He had pulled you aside that day and started explaining his personal mantra.

“My dad says you have to be strong as a titan because that’s the only way you’ll beat someone who seems more powerful than you.”

“What’s a titan?” your small voice asked.

“A titan is someone who seems to be stronger than you, and doesn’t care how their power affects you. A bully could be considered a titan,” he explained. You immediately thought of your father and brother. Even years later when you would consider giving up boxing due to a setback or something would happen at home, Erwin would say the same thing, ‘be strong as a titan.’

As you shook off the brief nostalgia, you followed Erwin through the front doors and into the gym. The lobby consisted of a waiting area and reception area. On the walls, championship belts, gold medals, and posters could be seen, all highlighting some of the boxers Erwin had trained. You wondered why none of Erwin’s awards were on the wall, but dismissed it to ask at a later time. You couldn’t help but notice that a whole wall was dedicated to Levi and his achievements. Photos of him hung next to many of the shining gold awards, and a scowl was present of his face with an almost dead expression in his eyes. _Wow what a personality he must have._

“Erwin? Is that you?” a voice almost screeched from behind the reception desk.

“Yes Hanji it’s me,” Erwin replied, ignoring the enthusiasm in the other woman’s voice. From out behind the reception area a tall woman with brown hair and glasses appeared with an almost scary smile, like the ones seen on mad scientists in movies.

“OH? And who is this? Have you finally brought home a girl Erwin?” Hanji asked excitedly while bouncing in place, rapidly glancing back and forth at the both of us.

“No Hanji. I’d like to introduce you to an old childhood friend of mine. Y/N this is Hanji, she runs the administrative side of the gym for me.”

You held out your hand tentatively and Hanji grabbed it in a vice grip and shook it vigorously.

“Oh it’s so nice to meet you Y/N! You must be the girl in the picture with Erwin that he keeps on his desk!” Hanji said.

You glanced up questioningly to a blushing Erwin.

“I kept the photo of us from when you won your first boxing tournament. It reminded me of the good times we had before I left for school.” He explained. For years you had wondered where the picture that you had kept in a secret place in your room, so your father wouldn’t find it, had gone. Now you realized that Erwin must have swiped it right before he left for college.

“Well it’s good to know it still exists. We’ll discuss this later mister,” you told him with a serious yet humorous glance. Erwin let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he did not want to be on the other end of your fury.

“Well if you excuse us Hanji, I have business to attend to before delivering Y/N to her apartment.”

Hanji scuttled back to the reception desk with a quick and enthusiastic goodbye. Erwin guided you to the main gym door.

“Well she seems nice,” you told him as you walked through the doorway. Your breath caught as you glanced around the gym. It was amazing! The space was one large open warehouse area that had been converted over to a gym. In the center of the large rectangular space sat three identical boxing rings. Hanging punching bags and speed bags could be seen lining the walls on two sides, while the third wall contained training implements and pads, and the fourth wall had benches and entrances to locker rooms.

“Wow,” was all you could say as you gazed upon the state of the art gym. Erwin chuckled when he saw your reaction, assuming this would be the reaction you had to the gym. A very tall and imposing man with a mop of blonde hair, a goatee, and mustache walked towards you and Erwin. You thought he looked familiar but couldn’t figure out where you knew him from.

“Erwin we need to discuss the next match. It’s coming up soon. I trust you but I generally like to know what’s happening when it comes to my opponents,” the man said to Erwin. He glanced at you before holding out his hand for you to shake.

“Mike Zacharias. And you are?”

“F/N L/N,” you responded while shaking the man’s hand firmly. That’s why you had recognized him. Even though you tended not to pay attention to the sport, you still heard and saw snippets of the most recent boxing news and Mike being the current Heavyweight Champion was something you heard about frequently. To your surprise Mike pulled you a little closer and sniffed you. Recoiling back, you sent him and Erwin a look of surprise and questioning. Mike smirked as Erwin shook his head at the slightly taller man.

“Old friend of yours Erwin?” Mike asked, still smirking at you. Rather than allow Erwin to answer, you did so instead.

“Yes. And you know this how?”

Mike laughed through his nose and answered your question.

“Erwin used to keep a pair of gloves in our dorm room that he never used. He said they were a gift from one of his best friends. They smelled like you, so I assume you’re the aforementioned friend.”

You gave Erwin a “what the fuck” look and he just shook his head.

“Ignore Mike, Y/N. That’s what I do,” he told you while glaring at Mike. Erwin looked past Mike at one of the rings which was currently the only one in use.

“Who’s the poor soul sparring with Ackerman?” Erwin question with a glint of amusement in his eyes. Mike laughed through his nose again as they began to walk towards the ring with you following behind.

“Hoover. Kid may be tall but he’s still not match for him,” Mike replied. As you got closer you could make out the two boxers better. One of them was much shorter than the other but he still seemed to be winning.

“Well you know the saying, the bigger they are,” Erwin muttered as the taller man in the ring collapsed after a right-cross to the head, “The harder they fall.”

Mike grimaced, obviously sympathizing with the man who had been knocked out. As you reached the side of the ring you could make out the shorter man’s obsidian hair and the pale skin of his bare back. He was barely sweating from the exertion of the fight.

“Erwin you need to find people for me to fight who aren’t shitty brats only trying to make a name for themselves,” the man said in a flat tone as he turned to face your group. Your eyes widened slightly as you stared at Levi Ackerman standing in front of you. _Damn he’s even more attractive in person._

Mike jumped in the ring to try and rouse Hoover from his currently unconscious state. Levi walked towards your edge of the ring and gracefully stepped through the ropes and jumped down to the ground. He had already un-velcroed his gloves using his teeth and had begun to remove them from his hands. Black hand wraps could be seen underneath the now discarded pair of gloves which were set on the edge of the ring next to a box of disinefecting wipes. Levi grabbed one of the wipes and began to wipe down the outside of his gloves.

“Levi,” Erwin said to get his attention, “I want to introduce you to someone.”

Levi looked over at Erwin and then you, completely uninterested.

“What Erwin? Is this some fan or another brat you’re going to have me knock out?”

“This is F/N L/N. She’s a good friend of mine who I knew would want to meet you.” Erwin answered.

“So it’s another fan? Tch.” He went back to wiping down his gloves and didn’t spare a glance at you.

“Wow, the great and almighty Levi Ackerman, in the flesh. I thought you’d be taller,” you told him with a blank expression on your face. He froze mid-wipe and slowly turned his glare onto you. You could feel Erwin stiffen beside you at the comment, ready to do damage control.

“What did you say?” Levi asked with a surprising lack of venom in his monotone voice.

“I’m saying I expected you to be taller. The posters and photos always make you look so much more intimidating. But what they don’t show are those abs. Damn. A girl could get used to this view,” you said while crossing your arms and looking him up and down. Erwin’s head snapped around to look at you, mouth hanging open at your commentary of Levi.

Levi smirked and began a slow unabashed perusal down your body before his eyes came back up to meet yours.

“Well the view looks pretty fucking good from what I’m seeing too,” he replied with a slight huskiness to his voice. Erwin went pale and jumped between the two of you, breaking your eye contact with one another.

“I was going to invite you to lunch with Y/N and I, Levi, but now I’m beginning to think that’s not such a good idea,” Erwin told the man with a flustered expression. Levi turned his eyes up to Erwin.

“Oh no Erwin, I’m not going to miss this.”


	2. Let Battle Commence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Zed slides in* Hello there! Hope you enjoy my offering and are looking forward to what's in store for the rest of this!

As the trip to the diner was underway, you remembered just how awkward Erwin could be when confronted by anything sex-adjacent. A few boys at school had made some terrible attempts at asking you out, childish mumbles which you'd defended against well but the usual protective nature from your friend turned into nothing, as if his strength never existed and the blonde would simply stutter and have a full on body blush. During your life a flirtatious streak had become evident, cheeky and inappropriate at times, one which Erwin had never seen. Until now. And now, it was time for some good natured fun. 

"So Levi," you began with a lazy yet sultry tone, nails inspected in a show of boredom. "Remind me again what your vital statistics are?"

The pale man smirked, eyes forward and hands in pockets as he could feel his trainer and friend turn to you in disbelief, mouth slack and words unattainable. Oh, this was going to be excellent. 

"Which ones, Y/N?" Giving it back with an equally seductive growl, Levi glanced over to catch your flashing stare, saw the small smile of mischief that told him you were most certainly on the same page. 

"Only the important numbers."

"Well in that case, eight…" He was cut off by a large elbow to the ribs, Erwin's cheeks blazing and blue eyes burning with warning whilst you tried your best to keep calm, wondering if that were really true. "I was talking about my fucking shoe size. No need to get violent, big man." Silence descended as the walk continued, all three of you mulling over the next thing to talk about. The tallest in your group quietly pondered a way to bring the topic of conversation away from his fighter's genitalia, drawing in breath to start a soliloquy that centred around the diner, only to be interrupted by another low purr. "But then, you know what they say about men's feet and certain ratios…" 

It was out there again, a filthy yet unassuming sentence which you began to laugh at, face dusted in pink and shoulders hitching with hilarity. You may have found the perfect counterpart to terrorise Erwin with. 

Taking a seat in the red leather booth, you slid over, joined by Levi as the other shuffled in opposite, lips pressed tightly together as he watched how close the pair of you were sitting. A menu laid on the table and you leant over, making a huge show of brushing against the body by your side as you peered to view what was on offer. 

"Hmm…it all looks so good." Tapping your pout with a finger, you stared with affected concentration, not noticing the exchange that was occurring above. Shards of silver gleamed and an expression made from pure smugness almost challenged the cobalt scowl he was met with. An impressive brow was raised and Levi shrugged, gesturing to you with a nod as if to say 'not my fault she's practically lying on my lap'. 

"Y/N?"

"Uh huh?"

"Give the man some space, please. This is a diner, not one of those…clubs." Upright again, you smiled sweetly and felt a slight bit of guilt - there he was, poor Erwin in his standard vest and sensible attire, hair flawlessly slicked as it always used to be. He hadn't changed that much, had just expanded somewhat and all of the things he'd done for you came flooding back. 

"Sorry Erwin. What do you recommend?" He lit up, excited at the prospect of gushing over his much beloved milkshakes, a favourite treat since childhood. 

"Well, the vanilla…" Gleeful explanations ensued and you did your best to listen intently, but that was rather difficult when lithe fingers were running up and down your thigh. Levi was in this whole heartedly, the chance to behave badly and without care too good to pass up; given his fame and reputation, he usually only ever met lame fangirls, women who would throw themselves at him and reeked of cheap perfume, make-up caked on and lashes as false as their breasts probably were. But you…you had an air of superiority and fun, the way you'd called him out instantly upon meeting adding to his interest and he decided why not, let's have a little bit of enjoyment in life, especially if it meant being able to watch Erwin squirm. 

The tanned male had always been an upstanding pillar, kind and gentle with that undercurrent of rage that had to be let out on the bags or in the ring, mostly a 'swell guy' who most certainly needed to relax once in a while. Even he couldn't be so straight laced at all times, there must be something inside so to pick at that flawless exterior made up for all the gruelling hours of workouts he'd enforced. 

"…and the chocolate comes with a little wafer, but it can get a little…a little…what are you doing?" Erwin could tell his champion was up to no good, the way you twitched every now and again speaking volumes and he frowned. "Hands on the table. Both of you." Raising like you were under gunpoint, you showed that none of this was your fault. "Levi?" 

"Order for me. I've got to take a piss." The touch on your leg swept away as he stood, stretching dramatically to lift his hoodie up and expose a muscular back, all a display like a peacock showing it's colourful feathers. As he walked away, you managed to drag your eyes onto the parental gaze that was pinning you down. 

"What?"

"Y/N, when did you become so...so…forward?"

"I'm just having fun Erwin. What's so wrong with that?" You weren't ready to get into this now, the truth surely not a conversation to be held on your reunion day but your old friend could sense a tone of accusation - here it was, his virtual abandonment of you coming back to strike. He still felt terrible, leaving when he did and knowing the family he'd left you with. But he had to, needed to be selfish and the large man sighed. 

"Look, I'm sorry Y/N."

"Why?" Stiffening, you sensed the incoming discussion and took the lead. "After you went, I had to adjust, sure. Become stronger and not just physically. So I did, and this is one thing that helped to get me through." Picking at the corner of the card menu, you nodded. "I don't sleep around Erwin, I'm not a slut, if that's what you're worried about. Some people read, others see a movie, I flirt. It takes the edge off and relaxes me."

"No no, I wasn't suggesting that…I…" He was getting flustered, not accustomed to seeing you fully grown and exploring sexuality - to him, you were still the little girl he'd defended and taught. "I guess I'm just not used to this. In public." A wry smile danced over your lips, about to make a comment when the waitress appeared, orders given with thanks. 

Levi returned, scooting in close again to begin meddling, head tilted in your direction. 

"So is this one a groupie then?"

You glared, eyes dark and full of playful malice, arms crossed as you angled backwards away from him with a look of distaste. 

"Please. Like I have nothing better to do than fawn over pumped up macho men." 

He got near, own tilt matching yours so your noses nearly touched, his scrutinizing stare threatening to break away any kind of walls you'd erected throughout life - his pictures really didn't do those silvery orbs justice and his voice was deep and silky, words spoken from almost an unmoving mouth. 

"Seem to be doing a pretty fucking good impression of one then, Y/N." 

"You should know. How many have you fucked? Must be like a kid in a candy store."

"I don't like candy. I prefer a more bitter taste." Grey eyes flicked down to your confrontational smirk, saw the way you were building up to a retort, one which he suddenly rather wished to hush with a kiss. That would be too soon though, way too easy. Whatever weird game was being played, it needed to be played properly, not ruined on day one. 

"Well if you like bitter, I know a few men…"

"Here we go folks!" The waitress had stopped proceedings again, much to Erwin's delight as he'd been watching the whole exchange with a gurgle in his throat, unsure how to sufficiently stop this unexpected thing from happening. Three hugely embellished milkshakes were delivered, all of you thanking the woman who skipped away oblivious and a low mumble sounded from your right. 

"What the fuck is this?"

"Hmm? It's a milkshake, Levi. Jeez, must be all those steroids ruining your brain cells."

"Don't be fucking smart. This. What is this?" Poking the bright item, Levi sneered and flicked it to one side, white liquid spraying out and splashing on your arm. 

"Watch out!"

"Ever so sorry, Y/N. Allow me." Pale hands took your limb and for a split second, you were sure he'd lick the offending droplets away, his almost cat-like smile promising a raise in the stakes. 

"Use a tissue. I'm begging you, please just drink your shakes like normal human beings." The hissing plea from Erwin was amusing to say the least and a napkin was swept over your skin, apologetic glance given. 

"Got to do what the boss says." 

Shrugging, you picked up the paper umbrella which had been ejected in your direction and twirled it between your fingers, sipping slowly on what was actually a pretty damn good drink. 

"How did you find this place? You come here a lot?"

"At least twice a week, Y/N. I find it calming. At least I used to." Erwin sulked, proper and correct exterior demanding the same kind of behaviour in return and you wondered why this seemed like such a great pastime - it was so simple, using your skill of steering away from the serious things in life to forget and you queried internally. How long until you broke him? That in itself sounded mean, yet the man's pout was even twitching, a sense of fun somewhere inside of him and you laughed. 

"Sorry Erwin. We've got a lot of catching up to do, we could make this a thing?"

"I'd like that. Very much. Preferably alone next time."

"Oh don't mind me. You carry on. Reminisce." Levi waved his hand to dismiss any fears, drinking deeply from the straw and disguising the look of pleasure that was dangerously close to emerging. 

"Thank you. Well Y/N, tell me. You might not watch it anymore, but do you still box?"

Milk was nearly ejected, coughs coming from the pale man and you slapped his back a little harshly. 

"Something funny?"

"You? Boxing? I'd call that fucking funny."

"Levi, don't make assumptions. She used to have quite the right hook back in the day."

Beaming, you winked across the table and switched sides, thanking your friend with the gesture. 

"Yea right. And I'm a shitty little rookie." 

"Ok, Mr Olympic medals. You and me. Bring it on." Squaring up, you took the cherry from your shake and held it by the stalk, red fruit sucked suggestively, tongue swirling as the creamy substance was cleaned away. Levi gulped visibly and you lifted your brows, popping the round item out from full lips and pointing it at your current rival. "Or are you dickless as well as brainless?"

"Oh Y/N, you'll find out soon enough that I am most certainly not dickless." 

Erwin groaned, head down on the table and hands in his lap like a prayer for redemption, voice muted as he spoke. 

"Let's not discuss your penis again, Levi." He sat up, blue eyes strained and tired. "And that didn't answer my question Y/N."

"No, I haven't for a while. Don't really need to anymore." The newcomer to this old relationship straightened, sensing the tone of something deeper but it wasn't his place to delve so he remained quiet, soft sips now his only sound of participation. 

"It's good to keep in shape though." A kindness radiated from the blonde, unspoken history shared and you nodded. 

"I suppose. Would be quite nice to get back into it Erwin, for fun rather than anything else."

"Well then, that's decided. Come down once you're all settled in at home and work and we'll have a spar like we used to." Even Levi didn't make a snide comment, just allowed the comfortable moment to settle upon those gathered, two acquaintances reunited and stopping short of dredging up the past. For now. It was only a matter of time before you talked about everything, how you'd coped after Erwin's departure, what occurred at home and your eventual move here. But for now, this was just fine. 

The cordial atmosphere continued as a few stories were swapped, the odd snap sent in the direction of the dark haired man which he took well, gave some back but his attitude had changed - he sensed an internal fire within you and was interested to find out more. Perhaps it would manifest at the gym? 

After your drinks had been finished, Erwin paid as his treat, any offers to assist waved away and you found yourselves outside again, slow walk taken as the large male pulled your case along, delivering you to the place you'd be calling home from now on. 

"Well, here we are."

"Need a hand up with this?"

"There's elevators, thanks though Erwin." Standing on tip toes, you planted a peck on his smooth cheek, gentle hand on your shoulder squeezing in support. 

"Where's mine?"

"Kiss my ass, Levi."

"With pleasure, Y/N. Maybe when I've finished wiping the fucking floor with you after a round?"

"You wish." Giving him the middle finger, you laughed as they turned to leave, Erwin's head shaken in exhaustion and Levi spun, walking backwards and palms out in question.

"Can I at least get your number?"

"Nah, I know yours though." He frowned, unsure what you meant until eight fingers were held up, your cheeky and slightly sarcastic show given with confidence until the reply came, man still stepping further away but facing you, nine of his own digits raised with a wink and you shouted over. "Yea, now I know you're lying!" One finger was retracted and Levi shrugged, calling back to where you stood.

"This isn't a lie though Y/N. You'll see." 

"Levi! Jesus, please." Erwin grabbed his fighter's collar, using size to his advantage and he twirled the smaller man round, forwards travel enforced and you smiled. It had definitely been an interesting first day in the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ktrivia, over to you ;)


	3. The First Punch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So sorry for the delay on this chapter. Managed to keep hurting my hands or arms so typing was a slow process. A few quick terms to know going into this chapter:
> 
> Jab- a quick punch that goes straight ahead towards the person aimed at  
> Cross- a punch that goes to the opposite side as your hand  
> Hook- a curved punch that brings the whole arm around into a hook shape  
> Clinch- when one boxer constrains another one by performing what almost looks like a hugging motion
> 
> Hope you all enjoy the chapter!

As you watched Erwin drag Levi away from your new apartment, you couldn’t help but laugh. The sight of seeing your large friend pulling the smaller man away was comedic. Sighing, you turned around slowly to face the doorway of the apartment complex you were moving into. The squat grey building blended in with many others on the city street. You opened the large glass door and entered a small lobby area that doubled as the mail room for the building. Mailboxes lined one wall and the three other walls contained doors, elevators and stairs.  
You pulled out your phone to double check which floor your new flat would be on. As you did so you approached the elevator and hit the up arrow. A ding sounded and you entered the elevator and headed for the fifth floor.

  
The hallway was long and your flat was about halfway down. Reaching into your pocket, you pulled out the key that had been mailed to you a few weeks prior. You reached out and unlocked the white door to enter the already furnished apartment. Greeting you was an open floor plan living room, kitchen, and eating area with large windows that allowed in lots of light. Luggage was forgotten at the door as you began to investigate the building that you had only seen on the realtor’s website. The kitchen was galley style with light granite countertops and new appliances. Above the counters sat upper cabinets in a black painted wood, and at the halfway point the upper cabinetry stopped allowing for a small bar top area. Past the kitchen sat a small black dining table and chair set with a matching bookshelf resting in the eating nook.

  
This area opened up into a spacious but cozy living area complete with a white couch, love seat, and two stylized chairs. There was a hallway that you followed and passed a small guest bathroom and ended up in front of the only other door in the hallway. Opening it, you entered the bedroom which had a king sized bed, television, bedside tables, and dressers. Your gaze was caught on the large bed, never having owned such a luxurious bedset before now. Being promoted at work really did have its perks. A wicked grin crossed your face as you ran towards the bed and leaped onto it then proceded to jump up and down while laughing. You were cut off by the ringing of your phone. Flopping back until the bed, you smiled as you saw Erwin’s name flash across the screen. Of course he would already be calling to check on you.

  
“Hello this is Y/N’s phone, we’re sorry to tell you that she was murdered in the twenty minutes its been since you left her,” you answered with a giggle.

  
“Very funny,” Erwin huffed,” I just wanted to make sure you were able to get into the apartment ok.” You knew Erwin was just making sure you were ok like he always had in the past so you cut the sarcasm to a lower level.

  
“I’m fine Erwin, got into the apartment ok, only had to battle a wild hord of angry dogs to get to my door but I handled them just fine.”

  
“Of course you did.” He paused for a second, “Hey I know I said to come into the gym once you had completely settled in, but one of my boxers in sick so I have a good chunk of free time if you would be interested in a sparring session?”

  
You considered this for a moment, trying to decide if you wanted to do this or not. Getting into boxing again could bring up some past memories you really didn’t feel like dealing with again.

  
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I know it could be tough at first…. I just really wanted to spend some more time with you and the gym is always where we had our best memories.” You could feel the beginning tears entering your eyes and blinked them away before answering him, a small crack in your voice.

  
“Actually Erwin, that sounds great. I assume you have some gloves I could steal, I mean borrow from you.” A sigh of relief could be heard from the other side of the phone.

  
“Of course. I never stopped having a pair ready to go for you.” A small smile reached your lips and arrangements were made to meet tomorrow afternoon after lunchtime.

  
Laying back on the new bed you stared up at the blank white ceiling thinking about tomorrow and what it would bring. The traveling and excitement of the day must have took more of a toll on you than you thought because sleep soon pulled you under.

* * *

 

Light poured through the window as you opened your eyes. You jumped, not realizing where you were, until you started to recognize your new home. Sighing in relief, you climbed out of bed and stretched to relieve stiff muscles. The display on the alarm clock read 11:04 in the morning. Groaning you realized you were due to meet Erwin in the next couple of hours.

  
Your suitcase was retrieved from next to the front door where it had been left during your exploration. Hefting it up onto the bed you decided to just unpack it later after you had left the gym. After a couple of minutes sorting through clothing you found a pair of calf length workout tights and a tank top. Digging to the bottom of the suitcase you found a pair of shoes you had debated throwing out so many times. A pair of low black boxing shoes sat in your hands. They were weathered due to years of use and the mostly smooth soles had been worn down significantly but they got the job done. They got thrown into a drawstring bag and normal sneakers pulled out for the walk over. You dressed yourself and went into the bathroom to wash your face and tie your hair back.

  
About ten minutes later you were walking out of the front door of the lobby and heading towards a coffee shop you had passed the previous day on your walk from the gym. The bell over the door jingled as it opened and a warm atmosphere greeted you. You joined the line to place your order standing behind a man and woman with jet black hair. The two stood almost rigid next to each other and you couldn’t overhear any words being shared between them.

  
Buzzing could be felt from your phone and you fumbled around with it while still trying to read the overhead menu. A quick glance down showed it was Erwin calling you again.

  
“Yes dad?” you answered, eyes still skimming the menu over the pair’s heads in front of you.

  
“You’re such a comedian Y/N. I just wanted to make sure nothing had come up today.” You could hear the hesitance in his voice. He was giving you an out from today’s sparring session if you felt the need to stay away from the ring. You knew it would kill him if you said no and loved him so much for giving you the option to bail.

  
“No Erwin we’re still on-,” The man in front of you whipped around to face you, stoic features present and steely eyes looking into yours. “Levi?!” you gasped.

  
“Levi?” Erwin questioned, voice rising in tone. “Y/N what are you doing with Levi? He had told me that he and Mikasa were going to pick up tea. Is Mikasa covering for him? What the hell are you two doing together?” The rant being yelled into your ear could be overheard by the raven haired man standing in front of you. His hand darted out and snatched the phone from you hand.

  
“Erwin would you shut your fucking mouth for a second. Y/N happened to walk into the same coffee shop that Mikasa and I are in. I didn’t realize it was her until your shitty name passed those amazing lips of hers,” he informed Erwin while shooting you a smirk. Aggravated sounds could be heard from the other end of the line and Levi merely grunted at that and cut whatever tirade Erwin had been on short.

  
“I’m hanging up now. The three of us should be back in a half hour,” He explained before a wicked gleam reached his eyes, “Unless something a little more interesting happens, then it could be quite a while.” Before Erwin could say anything else, Levi hit the end button successfully silencing the larger man. Your phone was held out to you by a pale hand, successfully shocking you out of your slight state of shock. You snatched it away and placed it back in the waistband of you tights. Levi’s eyes could be seen trailing down your torso to watch the slight lift of you shirt to place your phone in its spot.

  
“Feel free to pull that shirt higher up Y/N, I never mind a morning show.” Levi said suggestively.

  
“Oh Levi, I would, but even you couldn’t handle that,” you informed him with a sultry wink and a pat to his chest as you sauntered past him to order your coffee. Levi’s gaze followed your walk, admiring the sway to your hips as you approached the counter. A younger guy with blonde hair that went down to his chin and blue eyes timidly asked for you order. He seemed like a sweet kid but was very shy. Order placed you went to stand over by the pick-up counter waiting for you breakfast, drink, and of course Levi. Levi kept glancing at you as he ordered, shooting sly glances that you immediately returned. You knew that this flirtatious streak could cause issues sometimes as people would get the wrong idea, but you had a feeling Levi was enjoying this as much as you were.  
You heard you name called and grabbed your food and coffee before winking at Levi and sauntering right out the door. A couple seconds later slightly rushed footsteps could be heard approaching you from behind.

  
“Is my presence that overwhelming to you Y/N?” Levi asked once he reached you. You noticed that it was just him and Mikasa was nowhere to be seen.

  
“Wow Levi are you such an ass that you just ditch who you’re with to follow random people?”

  
“Mikasa is fine. She’s friends with that brat behind the counter.” You nodded and continued walking in the direction of the gym, ignoring Levi’s presence, knowing it would rile him up.

  
“Oi, do you make a habit of ignoring extremely sexy people walking next to you or are you just blind today?” He asked. Your eyes slid over to meet his. An idea popped into your head as you slowed your pace and faced him.

  
“You’re right Levi. Hmmmm you really are sexy aren’t you?” You pondered with an almost seductive tone taking a step closer to him. He froze looking at you with a question in his gaze, confused about your abrupt shift in demeanor. Another step closer brought you chest to chest with Levi. You leaned into him and let you lips brush his ear lightly, causing him to involuntarily shiver.

  
“But I can’t let you win this game of cat and mouse now, can I?” you whispered before taking his earlobe between your teeth and slowly grating against it. A soft chuckle escaped you as you abruptly stepped back and continued walking the remaining few feet to the gym. Levi had been so focused on you that he hadn’t realized how close you were to the desired destination. Glancing over your shoulder, you could see the man still standing in the middle of the sidewalk, dazed expression evident, still trying to process the last few seconds. Suddenly you were jolted as you ran into something solid. Turning back around you found yourself looking at a disapproving Erwin.

  
“I don’t even want to know do I?” He asked as you were about to open your mouth to explain. A grin presented itself on your face.

  
“No most likely not"

* * *

 

After a little while you found yourself seated on a bench near one of the rings getting yourself situated. Original sneakers were removed as boxing shoes were put on and laced. Heavy footsteps could be heard, and you knew it was Erwin approaching. He kneeled in front of you holding two rolls of wrap for your hands and a medium sized box. He placed the box on the bench next to you and then held out his hand for one of yours.

“I can wrap my own hands Erwin,” You told him even as you were putting your right hand into his.  
“I know you’re more than capable, but let me do this for you. This was always what we did before a match. I wrapped you and you wrapped me.” He explained as he began to wind the wrap around your wrist and fingers. You watched in silence as he worked, complex techniques now effortless due to years of experience.

  
“Flex your hand. How does that feel?” He asked as he secured the wrap in place with the Velcro at the end. Bending your fingers and checking the mobility, or what should be lack of, in your wrist you nodded to him and held out your other hand to repeat the process. Repeated actions ensued and soon both hands had been successfully prepared for gloves. Erwin reached over and grabbed the box slowly pulling open the flaps to reveal a slightly faded pair of black practice gloves. Your mouth dropped as you slowly pulled one of the gloves out of the box and turned it over to reveal the laces, and alongside them, your name monogrammed into the leather.

  
“I always kept them after you quit. I figured you would decide to come back to it one day, and even if you didn’t then I would always have a reminder of everything we did together.” Erwin explained as you ran your hands over the gloves in awe. It had been years since you had seen your old sparring gloves and they reminded you of the past you shared with Erwin, memories both good and bad.

  
“Erwin I-“ your voice cracked as you tried to contain the emotion you were feeling, “Thank you. Just thank you so much.” You leaned over and hugged him tight, burying your head into his shoulder and neck as you regained your composure. Pulling away you gave him a reassuring smile.

  
“Well lace me in, we’ve got some catching up to do and these things aren’t going to tie themselves.” Erwin knew you were covering for whatever emotions were warring inside of you but he just smiled and hoped for the best as he began putting the gloves on you. Gloves were applied and laces were tied before you tested out the familiar weight. Holding your hands up in front of your face you threw a few jabs with each hand. Erwin nodded before gesturing you towards the empty ring. He held the ropes apart from each other, granting you an easier entry to the ring, before he slid through them to join you. Nostalgia began to hit you as you stood in the ring, gloves on, preparing to regain part of your past. But nostalgia wasn’t the only thing beginning to show, something darker was starting to rear its ugly head.

  
“So I figured rather than a full on sparring match, I could use the pads and we can see if any of your old skill is still locked somewhere in that head of yours.” Erwin explained with a smile before putting small pads over his hands.

  
“Good idea, I don’t feel like kicking your ass today,” you told him with a teasing tone.

  
“Oh now that I would love to see,” Levi said as he approached the edge of the ring, gloves on, and shirt off. Erwin glared at his fighter who was lazing against the ropes peering in to watch you.

  
“Aren’t you supposed to be sparring with Mike right now?” Erwin questioned in a harsher tone than he had a moment earlier.

  
“Tch, Mike can hit a speed bag for a while. The giant could work on his jabs. I’m not missing this.”  
Erwin glanced at you, a question in his eyes on whether or not you still wanted to try this. You shrugged before holding your hands in front of your face, and rising slightly to your toes. Erwin approached, hands up and began giving instructions.

  
“Let’s start with the basics. Jab, cross, hook.” He told you before holding his hands at your height. Your brain reacted to the instructions given as your left hand shot out to meet the left pad, right hand following after to hit the left pad, and lastly left hand over to the right pad. Erwin nodded before giving slight adjustments to increase accuracy. You tried the combination again before your hands returned instinctively to their place blocking your face. Erwin nodded and proceeded to hold up his padded hands for another round. This went on until you hits were landing at a much faster pace.  
This process continued on as you cycled through four more combinations, advancing in difficulty as you went. Sweat had begun to pepper your skin from the unusual amount of exertion and your breathing became more labored as time went by. You were so focused, you didn’t notice Levi as he stepped into the ring behind you.

  
“Ok Erwin step out. I want to go a round with her. See what she’s really made of.” Levi said crossing the ring to stand next to the taller man. Erwin glanced down at Levi disapprovingly before you responded.

  
“Sure why not? As long as you’re ok with me damaging that pretty face?” you said with an innocent smile. Erwin could be shaking his head before throwing his hands up in surrender, knowing that if the trash talk had started then there would be no changing your mind. He stepped through the ropes and stood at the edge of the ring watching you carefully.

  
“Come on sweetheart whenever you’re ready,” Levi said with a grin before getting into position. “I’ll even let you have the first punch.” He began bouncing around you as you both assessed one another.

  
“Oh no ladies first,” you retorted.

  
“You’re saying I’m the lady here?”

  
“I saw that tea you ordered earlier. Pretty damn feminine to me.” Momentarily you could see his focus lapse as he tried not to grin at you insult. Might as well take him up on that offer for a first hit then. Your left hand shot out in a jab. Even distracted Levi slipped the jab by ducking to the right. Two quick blows could be felt to your left side before you could even anticipate it. Levi was up again in an instant cirlcing you once again.

  
No more talking was going to be occurring now that the round had started. Both of you sinking into silence as you began analyzing each other’s strikes again. Levi went for a right hook, you barely rolling your body under it before attempting a blow to his side, but he was too quick. Another blow came to your side, and it felt like something was flashing in your brain. Hazy images danced in your eyes of two men. You shook your head turning to face Levi again as another hit landed on your sternum. The images in your head grew stronger and you could feel the flashbacks beginning. Each blow seeming to be dealt out of hate and spite rather than competition. Your breathing became heavier as adrenaline kicked in and your hits became fiercer and more sporadic. A dodge of a hook lead to you landing a hard hit to the back of Levi’s ear, dangerously close to illegal territory, and before he could turn again you glanced a hit off of his neck.

  
Self-preservation had kicked in. No longer were you fighting Levi, but rather the two men that you had repressed and avoided for so long. More punches were aimed directly at Levi’s face. He knew the only way to reset the ring and get you out of this hectic rhythm you had initiated, was to go for a clinch. Stepping forward he leaned closer to you and at the last second opened his arms to reach around and grab you, successfully restraining your arms at your sides. His leg was brought in between yours to steady himself in case of pushback and he pressed his head to your shoulder to cover his face and pull you in closer.  
You felt as vice like grips coiled around you. Panic seized you and grew stronger when you felt someone press their face to your shoulder and neck, and a leg came in between yours dangerously close. Immediately you began to struggle against the constraints. Unbeknownst to you, tears had begun to fall from your eyes as you tried to fight your way out of the stronger man’s grasp. Someone could be overheard repeatedly saying “No” and it took you a moment to realize it was you. Your hands ran up and down your captors back attempting to claw at their skin, not remembering the gloves confining your hands.

  
“Erwin!” Levi yelled, still holding onto your writhing form. He was unsure what exactly you thought was happening, but he recognized the situation from past experiences. Letting go wasn’t an option until Erwin reached the ring because Levi was unsure of the harm you could cause to him or worse, to yourself. Due to this he gripped you harder, head tilting more towards your ear so you could hear him.

  
“Y/N! Calm down. Whatever you’re thinking is there isn’t real. It’s just you and me. You’re ok, you’re ok.”

  
Words began to penetrate the panicked haze, a voice, that didn’t match the two figures in your head, was speaking to you. Slowly, the world began to sharpen and you realized that someone was still holding you. Words meant to calm you could still be heard.

  
“Levi?” you questioned with a sob escaping you. Arms squeezed you tighter as a low voice responded.

  
“Right here Y/N. Talk to me princess, what’s going on?” His voice was gentler than you were used to, and his steady breathing against your neck was soothing.

  
“I can’t-, I don’t want to fight them, please don’t make me, I’ll be good just don’t let them near me,” you sobbed, finally breaking down and falling to your knees. Levi sunk down with you, still clutching at you. Pure shock covered his face as Erwin finally made it into the ring. The two men’s eyes met and Erwin just nodded gravely, confirming his suspicions that you weren’t just some childhood friend. Erwin had spoken of someone he had known who he worried about when he left. Levi had considered if it was you, but the minute your strong and brash personality came out, he dismissed the idea. He should have remembered that people other than himself were able to put up facades. One phrase that you had said had stuck with him. Why did the strong woman in front of him need to assure someone that she would be good? What had broken her down to this state causing her to be so terrified and willing to do anything to stay out of harm’s way?

  
Erwin kneeled down next to the pair and ran a hand up and down your shaking back. You jumped a bit before you heard Erwin’s reassuring voice.

  
“Let her go Levi,” Erwin instructed as Levi slowly leaned back, trying to look in your eyes, but couldn’t because you kept your head down.

  
“Hands,” Erwin said softly. Levi was confused for a second before he saw you hold out you gloved hands to Erwin for him to unlace you. The larger man quickly pulled the laces loose and slipped the gloves off of you. The second your hands were free you snatched them towards your chest, rapidly opening and closing your fists.

  
“Give them back Y/N, I know you want the wraps off too. It’s always easier if you let me do it,” Erwin reasoned with you. Levi was finally starting to realize that this wasn’t the first time this situation had occurred. Erwin was too calm seeing his closest friend break down like this, and the mannerisms were too practiced. The lack of expression in the man’s blue eyes as he unwound your hands held Levi’s attention for a moment before he looked back to you. Your sobs had quieted but you still refused to look up.

  
Looking up meant trouble and you knew it, so you kept your gaze down as Erwin finished unwrapping your hands. This is why you hadn’t wanted to box again. You knew that recent events would cause the flashbacks to kick in while you fought. Once the wraps had dully released your hands, you pulled them back to your chest again, holding them close. You went to lean back and hit a solid surface, causing you to jump and glance behind you. Pale skin and dark concerned grey eyes met yours. _Levi, its just Levi._

  
Without thinking about it you leaned back further into Levi, startling him. Erwin eyed you, knowing that you were searching for non-violent human contact and Levi was the closest to you at the moment. The pale man looked at Erwin questioning what to do. A sad smile appeared on Erwin’s visage and he just nodded. Taking the cue Levi wrapped his arms around your form, pulling you in closer to him, hands running up and down your arms in a comforting motion. A silence descended over the three of you and after a minute Erwin was the one to break it.

  
“I think we need to have a little talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to check us out?
> 
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	4. Sink Or Swim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zed here with the next chapter, hope you enjoy :)

Erwin had given Levi a choice as he led your now seemingly frail form to the office - come with or stay put. The pale man opted for the latter, not wanting to encroach on someone else's troubles, especially those of a person he'd only just met. That wasn't to say he didn't care, odd show of his compassion flowing out when in the midst of your episode, but he felt like an intruder whilst watching a large arm curl around your slumped shoulders, friendly protection in play. Still gloved and decidedly dark-minded, he tried not to get too pissed off on your behalf, those broken words spoken by a scared voice still ringing in his ears. Sure, boxing was violent by nature, however it was often born from a kind of necessity, his own past demons showing him the way into this life and he wondered what yours were. 

"Mike? Here. Now."

"But I'm…"

"No buts. Get your ass in the ring."

The backdrop of a sparring session spilled through into the small office, cluttered tables heaving with paperwork and posters hung on the walls, trophies sitting safely in a locked cabinet. Tossing your gloves down, you gave them a wistful look as memories of your expertise came flooding back; you'd been quite adept at one point, but as progression was made, the flashes became worse. Once Erwin had left, there was no way you could have continued without the one person who understood so you'd slid out of practise. Morose and more than a little embarrassed at your public outburst, you sighed and flopped into an old leather chair, noisy puff coming from the weathered and scratched material. 

"Will I ever be able to do it again?"

"Y/N, you don't have to force yourself."

"I know, but Erwin…" Battling with taking the easy route, giving up and sliding back into regular life you also wanted to take a shot at conquering your fears, break through that barrier which was holding you from so much life. It wasn't just the physical entanglements which were affected, it was woven throughout every element of your existence, unsurprisingly so, and you were aware that Erwin had only scratched the surface. "I need to tell you the truth."

"Ok Y/N. I'm here for you." A gentle hand took yours, warm and caring and you smiled weakly, ready to admit what had happened back then. 

"So, you know it got to the point when those two stopped?"

"Yes."

"And after that I started with the flashbacks?"

"I remember. Just now was not the only time I had to unwrap you."

"Well, when you left it got worse. Not your fault, please don't think any of this is on you, Erwin." Fixing him with a serious stare, you tried to assure your friend that his departure hadn't been a catalyst, not truly believing that yourself, however you'd been right to say that he wasn't to blame. "So I stopped. As you know. And…well, that's when…that's when my brother picked up where he left off." 

Strained silence bounced off the walls and permeated the furniture, faint sound of exertion from outside the only noise, a familiar yet tainted beating of gloves. 

"He did what?" Erwin was livid, barely keeping it together and he clenched his fists, temper bubbling to the surface like a volcano about to blow. After all you'd suffered, all you'd done to defend yourself, your prick of a sibling had spotted an opening and taken advantage. 

"He exploited the gap in my armour, Erwin. Saw that I'd given up and got back to his favourite pastime." You didn't need to elaborate to this man, previous injuries still vivid in his mind as if they'd happened yesterday. 

"What about your father?"

"No, not him. He was too drunk to fucking manage to even lift a finger. Passed the family flame on, so to speak." 

"How did it stop?"

"I moved out."

"But Y/N, that wasn't until years later!"

"I know." Hanging your head, you shook it lightly and stared down at free hands, hands which hadn't always been so liberated, something the large blonde knew all about. "Listen, it's over. I understand that. But having those bindings on me again…"

"Y/N…"

"It was too much Erwin, but I don't want it to be! I want to put this all behind me once and for all and function like a normal human being, not some scared little girl who can't even wear woolly gloves in fucking wintertime." 

Blue eyes gazed to the side, man ashamed to look at you now. Of course he knew what your two male relatives had done to you, the constant beatings when your mother wasn't enough of a target anymore, older woman having already been ground down into a malleable and compliant servant. Once, your brother and you had witnessed the harsh rule of your father together, scared children hiding huddled beneath their beds and clutching to one another. But that changed. 

Older and more impressionable than you, your sibling had taken the behaviour as an example, copying violence as kids often did. If you refused to tidy your shared room alone, he slapped you. Said 'no' to doing his homework, a kick. It was all he'd ever known admittedly, however you didn't fare well from the teachings.

When your parents found out, your mother was too scared and submissive to do a thing and your father just laughed, bringing his son into the fold and welcoming a 'man' to the household. And that was how it continued, your fighting spirit just spurring them on and a usual move of theirs was to tie your hands behind your back, tightly wound electrical tape almost cutting off circulation as they left you to struggle, ankles subjected to the same treatment. The pair loved nothing more than to watch you writhe around whilst delivering smacks and punches, all the while telling you how despicable you were. 

After a particularly bad night, one which came about due to you spilling a spoonful of dinner whilst dishing up for them, you'd approached Erwin, begged him to help you strike back. And he did. You were already training with him following the incident with a bully, but this was more intense, more extreme and led to his eventual snap, your brother at the receiving end of the tall student's wrath. Between that and your own ability to defend yourself, the issues had stopped. That was until your flashbacks couldn't be managed alone and you lost interest in the sport, seeing the two side by side and leaving yourself open to further abuse. 

When you spoke again, Erwin jumped, dragged from his thoughts with a jolt. 

"So I guess I'm asking you to help me again. If you have the time?"

"Y/N, I'll always have time for you. But listen…don't force it. Are you still in contact with them?"

"Nope. This move was the best thing that could've happened."

"For many reasons. Ok. Here's how it is. We carry on as usual, back to basics though. No more one on one with Levi."

"Aww, please?" Returning to your more recent coping mechanism of flirting, you smiled sweetly and banished the ghouls which had invaded your brain earlier, chased them off expertly. 

"Oh my god…" Knowing why you did it now, Erwin shared your grin and laughed. "I mean it. Simple circuit training to start with. No physical blows. We need go get you used to the feeling of...you know…"

"The tape? Yea…I wasn't quite expecting that reaction." 

"Don't worry, Y/N. We'll get there. You want to stop at any time, say the word and we can just catch up like regular people."

"Thank you Erwin. Again. I owe you so much."

"No, you don't." The vague pull of guilt wouldn't leave him alone and it bolstered his will, fire burning in his soul to ensure you would overcome and prevail. "Anyway. No more today. You can come watch though? Get reacquainted with the old sounds and smells?"

"That would be perfect."

On your feet, you shared a warm hug, man's body easily enveloping yours and you breathed in the scent of honest sweat, something you'd once been accustomed to and would soon be familiar with again. 

As you walked out with more confidence than before, silver eyes watched closely, noting the change in demeanour and he gave a small huff, sitting on the edge of the ring as if just hanging out. Mike was in the corner, checking his face in a tainted old mirror for any bruising, a round with Levi being hard enough, let alone when he was in a mood. Your heart jumped as you realised some sort of explanation needed to be given, an apology at least and you nodded to Erwin, brows raised and head tilted at the person you'd been clinging to recently. 

Approaching, you offered a small smile and stared down, the casual stance betraying any use of physical force, arms over his thighs and gloves hanging loosely between his knees.

"Levi, I…"

A large padded item was waved, dismissing whatever was about to be said. 

"Y/N, you don't have to say a thing."

"I do. Sorry and thank you."

"Both accepted." 

Neither of you spoke and a glance of understanding passed between two people - this was shelved but not forgotten, comfortably stashed away until a later date, if that ever came. Knowing someone for under twenty four hours did not lend itself to mass outpourings. Your friend joined you both, own gloves on and he gestured to the ring. 

"Still got it in you to go at it with me, Levi?" 

"Any time, any day Erwin." 

He winked, letting you know it was in the bag and you laughed, chair pulled up to sit back and observe the show. Getting that off your chest had been therapeutic and you could only hope that breaking through your mental chains would help. You watched the men skirt around each other, feet light and fluid, the squeak of shoes on the slightly padded floor bringing back good memories and you relaxed, allowed yourself to be drawn in as the hypnotic dance continued. Levi was more lithe in his movements, reflexes like a cat almost as he ducked and dodged, soles never faltering in pre-programmed steps, gut instinct playing a major part. Erwin was able to train and instruct in this style, any style to be honest but his own go-to set of instructions were based on power, small blows landed from the shorter male however he brushed those off as if laid upon him by a fly. 

The blonde was building up to an attacking jab, you could see it, knew by the way he tensed and brought himself backwards almost imperceptibly. Levi knew it too, years of circling around this individual under his belt and he smirked, leaning out of harm's way just at the right moment, meaty limb shooting past his ear. They carried on in that same flowing display, bodies timed perfectly and swaying to unheard music, a strange kind of waltz underway which captivated you. 

You were so engrossed that the woman beside you hadn't been registered, her cheerful voice making you jump. 

"Hey Y/N! They're amazing to watch, right?"

"Yea…I've missed this." Smiling over at who you recalled was named Hanji, you nodded at the soft gaze she fixed you with, confirming silently that everything was ok - of course other people had witnessed the incident earlier and you were infinitely grateful that no one mentioned it. These types of gyms often housed people who had some aggression to let out for whatever reason, so you took solace in the fact that you were likely not alone in your past struggles. 

Meaning to keep them that way, in the past, you clapped as the men called time on their spar, neither victorious nor on the losing side. Erwin jumped down, chest moving swiftly to drag in air and face bright and glowing; he loved to get in the ring and it showed. 

"As much as I may regret asking this Y/N, I'm starving. Diner?" 

A flawless face appeared from behind the large male, sticking out to one side and giving you a devilish look. Levi seemed to have just been reading or watching a film, no sign of physical exertion and he raised a brow, inviting himself along as expected.   
"If you're buying, Erwin?"

"Of course." Giving a sigh, your friend grinned nonetheless and you smiled back, glad that he could see when the subject needed to be avoided and mental defence mechanisms should kick in. "Showers first."

You looked down, in need of one yourself and grabbed your bag, following to the small yet well maintained bathrooms. Luckily there were four separate cubicles, catering to all needs and you took one, placing your clothes on a built in shelf behind the door, self contained unit providing a dry area for belongings. The sound of hot water came from all around as three of you had your own thoughts, processing the day's events as only a nice warm shower could offer - it was certainly a good place to think. 

Perhaps forcing yourself to train would be a good thing, but you would ask Erwin if some after-hours sessions could be arranged in private, another incident sure to arise and you hoped to suffer it with just one person next time. The owner of this establishment was actually pondering the same thing, plans laid internally to help you like he used to, make up for lost time and give much needed support once more. He hated to see you crumble and understood the need to keep it as personal as possible. Levi tilted his head back, let the water run over his face in soothing sprays. Whatever was going on remained none of his business, however he would take your lead - if the impending meal included flirting, great. If not, all fine too. He wanted to get to know you better by any means and intended to do just that. You were definitely an interesting creature. 

Fresh clothing applied, you stepped out and slid your shoes on, wet hair dried enough to not drip everywhere and a door opened on one side, small towel wrapped around a porcelain and powerful waist, fabric barely covering the necessary. 

"You seen my pants?"

"Thankfully not, Levi." Flirting it was. Levi smirked, sweeping dark locks back with a shrug. 

"I'll just go like this then, yes?"

"No you will not." Erwin emerged, fully clothed and slightly red from an overly hot wash down. "You left them out there." He strode away, mumbling about pre-planning and you shared a glance with the practically naked man as he leant against the door frame, arms crossed and radiating smugness. 

"So Y/N. Like what you see?"

"I can't see everything, so I'll reserve judgement. You still have a massive boast to live up to." 

"Like I said, you know my magic number." 

A pair of jeans hit him square in the face, strong throw from Erwin sending the garment precisely to it's target and you laughed, shorter male slipping back into the cubicle to commence dressing. 

A relatively uneventful walk later and you'd arrived, busy diner buzzing with activity. One booth was vacated, perfect timing and you waited patiently for the table to be cleaned down, plates removed and new menus presented. Erwin slid in first, taking up one side pretty much on his own and Levi sat opposite, letting you join him with a pat to the leather seat. 

"Plenty room for one more, Y/N."

"Thank you, Levi." 

Keeping it civil, you smiled sweetly and flopped down, eyes on the menu in a mirror of your friend opposite. This meant that he saw nothing but food, missed the small exchange before him, words masked by the sound of chatters and coffee machines. Levi came close, lips on your lobe that brushed delicately while he spoke.

"You smell fucking divine."

Turning, you bumped noses and gave a sly grin. 

"You should find out what I taste like, then." 

"I may just do that, Y/N." His tongue flicked out swiftly, tickling on your pout and your lids almost closed. Not now, you told yourself. This is just some fun, stress relief, shameless teasing. Nothing's ever going to happen, he's only playing too. After the scene earlier, it surprised you that Levi still wanted to get into this actually and you sat back slightly, saw a deeper hue to his piercing grey eyes that confused you. Was he only playing? Of course he was. You'd only just met. Keeping up the connection, you stared at one another, feeling the other out like you were circling in the ring, sizing up your opponent. 

"Are you two actually going to order?"

"Sorry Erwin. Apparently my shower gel does something to him. Not my fault." 

"Didn't you just literally offer yourself up on a plate,Y/N?"

"Levi, I have no idea what you mean." Winking, you looked down and bit your bottom lip in faux concentration, aware of eyes on you at all times. Erwin wondered why he put himself through this, tried to remember that your methods were unusual yet seemingly effective and attempted to ignore the way his fighter was devouring you with his gaze. He knew Levi well, had seen how hot-blooded he could be - passionate when boxing and just as fervent outside of the stretchy ropes. The blonde only hoped that whatever you were getting yourself into, for fun or not, didn't lead to more pain.


	5. Entering Normality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!   
> I am so so soooo sorry for the absurd delay with getting this chapter out. It was not supposed to take this long but it's been a hectic last couple of months. Hope you all enjoy it!   
> ~Ktrivia

The meal in the diner had hit the spot; greasy food solved almost all problems, including slight mental breakdowns. Erwin had gotten a salad because, even though he was a trainer and not a competitor, he had to, 'keep fit enough to go twelve rounds in the ring.' Of course Levi had some commentary on Erwin’s supposed ability, and when it would make an appearance. After some teasing you had convinced the blond to get one of his beloved milkshakes, pumping your fist in the air at the small victory. Levi contradicted Erwin’s health mantra by ordering a double burger, fries, and a milkshake. How he could put all of that away and still have the statuesque abs of a Greek God, you had no idea.

After Erwin had paid the bill, as promised, you began to stroll towards your apartment. Idle chit chat kept the atmosphere light and nothing pertaining to the earlier occurrence was mentioned. When the building had been reached, you turned to say goodbye to your companions.

“You coming by the gym for a workout tomorrow?” Erwin asked with an encouraging smile. You could tell he was hopeful that you would come by soon rather than avoid the gym altogether.

“I have to work until three, but after that I can definitely come by. Does 4:30 suit? That way I can go by my place, change, and drop off my sketch pads.”

Erwin nodded and then his face changed to one of slight anxiousness.

“You start your new job tomorrow? Do you have everything you need? Do you need a ride there? Have you met your coworkers yet? What about-,” Erwin rambled on until he was cut off by Levi smacking his hand over the blonde’s mouth. A glare was directed towards the smaller man by the larger of the two and you couldn’t help but laugh at the duo.

“Erwin I’ll be fine. This isn’t my first time doing this kind of job. I know I say you’re like a big brother but screw that, you’re becoming more and more like a worried father sending his daughter off to her first day of school.”

Erwin grimaced and proceeded to yank a smirking Levi’s hand off of his mouth.

“Wow Y/N, I knew he was old, but I didn’t know he was that old,” Levi said with a smirk. The blond man turned his glare once again towards Levi and opened his mouth to respond, but you beat him to it.

“I’ve seen your bio too Levi, you’re not that much younger gramps,” you told him with a chuckle.

“Tch, still younger than Erwin. So you can’t call me gramps if he’s been dubbed dad.” Levi explained with a look of disdain.

A devious thought came into your head as you walked closer to Levi before leaning in close to whisper in his ear like you had that morning.

“And what if I wanted to call you daddy? Is that off limits too?” You could feel Levi freeze and you held in a laugh while backing away from him to say your goodbyes to Erwin. You gave the bigger man a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Um Y/N,” Erwin prompted, “He hasn’t moved yet. Do I want to know what you just said to him?”

“No probably not. Give his brain a few minutes to catch up and I’m sure he’ll recover at some point. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Have a good night boys!” Steps were climbed as you walked up to the entrance of your complex. Glancing behind, you could see Levi shaking his head trying to snap out of the state of shock you had put him in. His eyes met yours and you couldn’t help but wink at him before sauntering through the door.

A few flights of stairs later, and your door was reached. Unlocking it, you walked towards your bedroom to get ready for bed. Your phone and bag were thrown on your mattress to be dealt with after you had changed and washed up. Opening some drawers you finally found where you had placed your pajamas during your haphazard unpacking, and made quick time of changing into them and washing your face.

As you reached the bed again, you could see your phone lit up with two text notifications. Frowning, you checked the number, not recognizing it, before unlocking your phone to read them. The first message was simple:

Levi: It’s Levi I got your number from daddy dearest

The second message made your heart beat faster, and something in your stomach started to flutter:

Levi: I expect to be called daddy now, but next time you should moaning it in my ear. I look forward to hearing that sometime soon.

As you were reading the texts, with your jaw dropped, a third text came through from Levi:

Levi: Sweet dreams Y/N. I know mine will be fantastic

With a blush you put your phone on its charger and crawled into bed, staring up at the ceiling. _What have I gotten myself into with this one?_

* * *

 

Thankfully, your place of employment was within walking distance of your apartment, eliminating the need for a car in the city. Trost Comic Company was one of the largest daily publishers in the country, and had entered into the comic book industry as well. You had been primarily hired on to work on ideas for new comics, and story arcs for those that were old and needed refreshing.

Entering the tall building, you found the sign with floor listings on it to double check the floor that the company resided on. You hit the up button on the elevator and when the doors opened you hit the button for the twenty fifth floor. On the ride up, you double checked to make sure you had your sketch pads and other essentials. When the door opened you squared your shoulders and exited the elevator into a hectic environment. Behind a glass wall, people could be seen bustling everywhere trying to meet deadlines and make it on time to meetings. A small smile reached your face as you took in the sight. The people looked like a television on fast forward, moving rapidly but with no sound. A reception desk sat in front of the glass barrier and was surrounded by chairs to form a waiting area.

You approached the desk and saw a younger man with green eyes and dark brown hair sitting behind it. He looked up at you with a grin.

“Hi welcome to Trost Comics, how can I help you today?” he questioned enthusiastically.

“Um hi,” you greeted, “I’m a new hire.” A look of understanding lit up his face.

“Oh you must be Y/N! I’m Eren Yeager, nice to meet you,” he said as he stood and held out his hand to you for a handshake. “Rico told me to take you back to her office when you arrived so she could lay out how everything will work officially, so if you just want to follow me,” he informed you while walking towards the door that led to the chaos in the other room. Once the door was opened a cacophony of sounds could be heard from yelling to music to phone calls. Eren led you down a few hallways to a glassed in office in a quieter part of the floor. Knocking on the door as he entered, he greeted the almost white haired woman sitting behind the desk that dominated half of the office. In front of the desk sat two chairs and a few feet past that was a round table you assumed was used for meetings and brainstorming sessions.

“Rico, this is Y/N. She made it through the frenzy so she’s all yours,” Eren conveyed to her before giving you a small smile and wave, then proceeding to leave.

“Y/N,” Rico stated authoritatively before standing to shake your hand, “It’s a pleasure to officially meet you in person. So much better to see a face than talk over the phone.”

“You as well ma’am.”

“No ma’am’s here. We may be a major company and do serious work, but we’re also a pretty informal bunch. So please call me Rico.”

“Of course,” you responded with a smile, any nerves you had about today melting away at her casualness. Before Rico could continue on with her introduction there was a knock on the door before a man with dirty blonde hair entered the room.

“Ah Jean, good, you’re right on time,” Rico stated, “Y/N, this is Jean, the three of us will be brainstorming and working on a new morning comic for the company to produce.” Jean sauntered over to you and shook your hand, a somewhat condescending smile on his face.

“Jean wipe that smirk away. You may have been here a while but she’s got seniority over you,” Rico told him and the smirk immediately left his expression.

“I look forward to working with you both,” you told them with a smile.

* * *

 

The day continued on with introductions to the staff and new space you would be working in. Even though you had your own office, that was shared with Jean, it could already be seen you’d be spending much of your working hours with them both at the table in Rico’s office.

After saying your goodbyes to coworkers and Eren on the way out, you began the walk home. You had gotten out a little later then you had originally planned. The plan had been for you to be at the gym at 4:30, but seeing as it was 4:46 by the time you left, that didn’t seem like it would be happening. Pulling out your phone, you sighed as you saw the mass quantity of texts from Erwin asking where you were and if you were ok. Figuring it would be easier than trying to reply to each individual message, you decided to call him. He picked up on the first ring. _Shocking._

“Y/N are you ok? I didn’t hear from you and you didn’t show up and I know that you were walking home so I-,” Erwin rambled until you interrupted him.

“I’m fine Erwin. Work just lasted longer than I thought it would. First day introductions and tours take a while.”

“Oh. Ok good. I just wanted to check. Not that I wasn’t confident in you being able to handle yourself,” he said with bashfulness sneaking into his tone. A snicker escaped you.

“Wow Erwin, becoming more dad-like every day aren’t you? Next thing I know you’re going to have a dad-bod and tell men they can’t take me to prom.”

“Call me dad anytime Y/N, but never threaten me with a dad-bod. I work too hard to stay in shape without you jinxing me,” He replied with mock horror. A low voice could be heard faintly through the receiver before a confused Erwin spoke again.

“Levi wants me to tell you to remember that certain variations of the word dad are reserved for him. What exactly does he mean by that?”

“Don’t worry your innocent little head about it Erwin. Look I’m almost home and after I change I’ll come over to the gym if that’s ok with you?” you ask, unsure if he’d want to keep the building open late.

“Of course. Levi is staying for extra sparring practice, so I was going to be here anyway.”

“Damn and you’re sure I can’t go one on one with him again? I would really like to land a hit on that smug face,” you declared with a smirk.

“As entertaining as that would be, it’s a solid no. Just bag work today. I’ll see you soon.”

Goodbyes were exchanged and by the time you had hung up the call, your front door had been reached. Running into your bedroom, you quickly changed into exercise clothes, threw your boxing shoes into a bag, along with some other essentials, before heading out.

* * *

 

Swinging the doors to the gym open, you waved to Hanji as you walked through the waiting area to where the action was. The first thing you noticed was the activity in the main ring in the room. Levi and Mike were sparring. Shirtless. _Now this is a view I can certainly appreciate._ While Mike had size and potentially strength over Levi, the smaller man was absurdly quick. Levi could throw a jab out and dodge Mike’s retaliation within what seemed to be the same second.

Erwin was standing off to the side of the ring, a serious and calculating expression on his face as he analyzed his fighters and their techniques. Where the pair of boxers were dressed for a practice, Erwin was wearing his sensible khaki pants, brown loafers and a dark green vest over his button down shirt. Every so often he would pace to a new position around the ring to get a new angle to observe the two men.

“Mike, try doing a jab next time instead of a cross,” Erwin told the taller man as the two fighters paused, bouncing on their feet in wait. “It might be a little quicker than the cross, so you may be able to land the hit.” Mike grunted an acknowledgement through his mouth piece and put his gloves back up to his face as him and Levi engaged each other again.

You walked up beside Erwin who nodded in your direction in greeting.

“They're looking good. You’ve really done a great job as a coach. Who would have known a few years ago that you would be coaching some of the top boxers in the world,” you murmured more to yourself than him. He glanced over at you with a small smile and an almost unheard sound of agreement, before focusing intently back on his fighters. You knew that Erwin meant no offense by his lackluster response. When he got into his “strategy mode” as you called it, he tended to have a one-track mind. This was beneficial for his career as a boxing coach, less so for his love life when he would bring girls to the gym while he was coaching.

After a few more rounds of sparring, the two boxers separated for the last time, sweating and panting from the exertion. _Sweaty hot men, this view just got better._ Erwin climbed through the ropes to enter the ring and confer about how they could improve. As they were talking, you sat down on the bench and put on your boxing shoes and began to stretch out your arms and legs. After you were sufficiently prepped for a workout, you called out to Erwin.

“Hey Erwin where are the handwraps for the heavy bag?”

“Use the ones in the cabinet in my office,” he replied before returning to the men in front of him.

You walked through the large main room to his office seeking out the cabinet he spoke of. The last time you had been in here, the priority had been figuring out what had transpired in the ring rather than looking around the room. Thankfully there was only one cabinet and it was a large one so you couldn’t have missed it if you tried. You gripped the handles and pulled both doors open searching the shelves for the hand wraps you needed. As you were looking, you saw a box with your name on it and realized it was the box containing your gloves. You went to pull the box out to look at your old treasured gloves, but decided against it due to what had happened the last time you wore them. _I_ _’ll be back for you soon,_ you promised yourself.

After some more exploration the hand wraps were uncovered and you had tgem in place before striding out of the office and over to the line of heavy bags hanging from the ceiling. Squaring up to the leather, you started circling it, bouncing slightly on the balls of your feet. Combinations were recalled as old muscle memory kicked in. As the bag would swing away or around, you would follow and dodge it to simulate another fighter. You were so focused you didn’t notice the approaching footsteps from behind you. A pair of hands placed themselves on your hips, jolting and stilling you for a moment. Along with those hands, a hard muscular body pressed itself against your back as you panted from the beginning of your workout.

“You need to use your hips more. Get more power behind those punches,” Levi whispered in your ear. You let out a huff before twisting slightly so you could look at him, not yet pulling away.

“I use my hips just fine and you know it. Cut the bullshit, you just wanted an excuse to put your hands there.”

 “I will not confirm nor deny,” he replied with a chuckle. He squeezed his hands tighter for a brief second before he pulled away, and walked over behind the bag to hold onto it for you to throw some heavier hits.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Squaring up again, you got into a fighting stance and began to throw punches, focusing on the power and precision of the hit rather than the combinations you had done before. After a couple of punches you glanced up at Levi, seeing a blank expression on his face as he observed your hits.

“You’re holding back,” he stated, realizing you were looking at him. Grey eyes flicked up to meet yours waiting for a response.

“I’m warming up,” you told him before resuming your hits on the bag.

“Your turn to cut the bullshit,” he responded, “You’re holding back and you know it. You’re maybe using, what, half the power you could be?” A knowing look was in his eyes. You couldn’t bring yourself to hit any harder in fear of triggering another episode like the day before.

“Fine I’m not working as hard as I could,” you huffed while returning to your punches. “Just let me do this how I want to do it, ok?” Levi could sense you were starting to close yourself off to the topic, and he let out a sigh before replying.

“Fine. But you’re going to have to face it head on at some point, and I’d much rather you do that while going at a bag versus in the ring with an opponent.”

You paused for a moment, before looking him in the eyes and nodding your agreement. While you weren’t going to tackle your issues today, you agreed that you would never overcome the ghosts from your past unless you faced them rather than letting them conquer you.

This time you noticed the sound of footsteps coming up behind you and knew that the source of the noise was two very large men.

“Y/N, your jabs are looking good but let’s see some left hooks. Those were always more challenging for you,” Erwin commanded, immediately going into coaching mode. Following his instructions, you began trying the more tricky hit with the three men watching you for flaws in your form.

“Make sure you’re really stepping on the gas more. You’re not throwing your weight back hard enough,” Erwin commented while circling the bag you were hitting. “Also, fix your angle. You’re not making your arm horizontal enough.” Erwin stopped his circling behind the bag, and a musing expression could be seen as a smirk reached his lips.

“Levi I’ll hold the bag, you stand on the right side of the bag so she has a height reference. You’re the closest to the size of the people she’d be used to going against.”

“Watch it eyebrows. That sounded very close to a short joke to me,” Levi growled at the blonde. A snort was heard behind you, and Mike could be heard trying not laugh flat out.

“Well Y/N, this may be as close as you’re getting to hitting Levi in the face any time soon,” Erwin declared.

“She wouldn’t want to screw up this perfection and she knows it,” Levi responded with a smirk.

“Aw he’s not even denying I could land a hit. How sweet. Scars are hot Levi, I would be doing you a favor,” you said with a laugh. Levi’s expression dropped slightly as he cross his arms to cover his chest and what you could see as the end of a long pale scar. You opened your mouth to apologize, but he shook his head at you before you could say anything.

“Ok Erwin are we starting this shitty drill?” Levi questioned, changing the subject back to you. Erwin looked back at the two of you, as he had started discussing something else with Mike and nodded. Returning to your position in front of the bag, you began attempting a left hook again, focusing on transferring more weight to your rear foot. Additionally, you made a point to angle your arm horizontally while aiming your fist at the height of Levi’s chin and cheek. This went on for a while until Erwin was satisfied with your adjustments to your left cross. A bored looking Levi walked off to shower when you moved onto something that didn’t require his shorter stature.

“Ok let’s call it a day,” Erwin stated, interrupting your current combination. “You’re looking good for not doing this in so long. The muscle memory is definitely still there. You’ll be back to the level you were before in no time.”

An encouraging smile made its way onto Erwin’s face and you couldn’t help but return it.

“Go clean up and then meet me in the office. I want to hear about your first day,” Erwin said before turning on his heel to walk to his office. You were unable to stop the grin that quirked the corners of your mouth up. It had only been a day since the incident but progress was being made and that’s what mattered.


	6. How to break Erwin 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Levi hatch a plan to terrorize Erwin even further

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people of the interwebs *ducks as things are inevitably thrown at me*  
> Ktrivia here. It's been quite a while and there really aren't any excuses other than being very busy and having severe writers blocks in both writers' heads. Here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it and so sorry for the excessive wait!
> 
> Comments always appreciated!

You were sitting under the overhang outside of your office building waiting for Erwin to come pick you up. It had been a couple of weeks since your move and Erwin had decided that he might as well pick you up on his way back to the gym from his lunch breaks. While you could easily make the walk to the gym, the weather gods had decided to be royal dicks and cause a thunderstorm. Come on Erwin. Where are you?

 

Pulling out your phone, you dialed his number for the third time, hoping that he would answer so you could avoid the downpour. The phone rang four times before cutting to voice mail as it previously had. 

“This is Erwin Smith. I’m unavailable right now. Leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible.” Beep!

 

“Erwin I swear to fuck of all the days you could forget to pick me up,” you grumbled as you pushed the end call button. You looked out at the rain pondering your options; you could make a run for it or wait out here hoping for a cab to go by. Texts were searched to make sure you hadn’t missed a message from Erwin saying he’d be late or couldn’t make it. While you were scrolling, you saw Levi’s name pop up from when he had texted you about getting your number and certain “dad” related comments. Shrugging, you hit the call button next to his contact, figuring the worst that could happen is him not answering. The line picked up on the second ring. 

 

“Well Y/N I wasn’t expecting you to be one for a midday booty call, but I’d be happy to oblige,” Levi said. You could almost feel the smirk in his voice over the phone. 

 

“Very funny Levi. Is Erwin dead or something? He’s not answer his cell.” 

 

“Erwin’s in strategy-mode as you apparently call it. Annie and Mikasa have been sparring most of the day and he’s getting critical of Annie’s technique.” He informed you. 

 

“I should have figured, and here I was thinking he had run off with some girl in the dead of the night. Alright I guess I’ll just run to the gym and try not to get overly drenched,” you disparaged, about to end the call. 

 

“Oh shit. He was supposed to pick you up wasn’t he?” 

 

“Yeah but now you’ll get the free entertainment of seeing me look like a drenched cat. So if you excuse me, I’m going to start hauling ass no-“

 

“Oi! Just hold on you shitty brat. Give me ten minutes. I’ll pick you up. I’ll honk when I get there.”

 

* * *

 

About fifteen minutes went by before a sleek black Nissan GT-R. The exterior was pristine. A honk came from the car and you ran towards it at the signal with your gym bag over your head to block the rain. Swinging the door open, you rapidly climbed inside the car to escape the rain that seemed dead set on hitting you. After the door slammed shut, you heard a huff from the driver’s seat. Levi looked at the water dripping onto the black leather seats with detestation. He reached into the back seat and grabbed a towel before thrusting it towards you. 

“Dry off. I don’t need the water messing up the leather.” He instructed. 

 

“Thanks,” you muttered, “My knight in shining armor.” A smirk appeared on his lips as he glanced sideways at you for a second. 

 

“I can let you out here and you can run to the gym.”

 

“I meant thank you oh great one for the unrepayable service you’re doing for me.” You mocked. 

 

“That’s more like it.” He said before going quiet and focusing on the road. You finished drying yourself and placed the wet towel on your lap so it wouldn’t be touching anything else. You made an attempt to look out the window but the rain was coming down too hard for you to see much. 

 

“I can’t believe Erwin forgot. I know he gets into strategy-mode but he normally wouldn’t forget,” you murmured more to yourself than Levi. 

 

“Don’t blame Captain America too much, he’s been busy lately with all the younger boxers and he was out late last night with Marie,” Levi told you offhandedly. Your gaze shot to him.

 

“Who’s Marie?” you questioned.

 

“The old man didn’t tell you about his kind of girlfriend?” He asked. Levi saw you shake your head out of the corner of his eye. “They’ve known each other for a while, go out on dates sometimes. I choose not to know what else they do in their free time. I don’t need that mental scarring.”

 

“Well why the fuck didn’t he tell me?” you asked in exasperation. You and Erwin normally had no secrets and it had been weeks since you had come to town. Levi shrugged.

 

“He probably didn’t want you meddling. Seems like something you’d do.” 

 

“Thank you so much Levi for the vote of confidence.” You huffed and crossed your arms. “I need to find a way to get back at him.” You sat thinking for a few moments. While you were thinking, you grabbed your bag to double check you had all of you gym clothes. After opening the top of the bag you realized most of the items in your bag were soaking wet. 

 

“Shit!” you cursed, “Most of my gym clothes are soaked. I’m either going to have to work out in this or go home first. You might as well drive me home, I’m not hitting a bag in a pencil skirt.” A sigh escaped you as you realized you probably wouldn’t be able to go to the gym today or interrogate Erwin. 

 

“Are your shoes dry?” Levi asked as he pulled into the parking lot of the gym. You rummaged through your bag and discovered the shoes were mostly dry since they had been wrapped in all your clothes. 

 

“Yeah they’re dry. Why? You expect me to practice naked?” you quipped.

 

“As enjoyable as that would be Y/N, you can wear some of my stuff. I keep extra clothes in here in case mine get dirty. There’s a hoodie and some gym shorts.” Levi offered. 

 

“Really? Who are you and what have you done with Levi? This seems too nice,” you said with a chuckle. Levi stopped the car and turned to look at you. 

 

“I know it’s shocking but I’m not always a dick.”

 

“In that case, thank you very mu- Oh my god I have a way to get back at Erwin!” you yelled. Levi grimaced at your change it volume. 

 

“You go plan your shitty comeback outside of my car where you can’t yell in my ear,” Levi instructed. An evil grin lit up your face.

 

“Oh no Levi, you’re part of this plan too.” Levi’s face took on a blank expression. 

 

“And how, pray tell, am I part of this plan?” He questioned flatly. A tiny malicious chuckle escaped you. “That’s terrifying.”

 

“What if we pretended I was wearing your clothes because we hooked-up? You’ve seen how freaked out he gets if we even brush shoulders. Imagine how much of a fit he’d throw if he thought something actually happened.”

 

“Or we could actually hook up,” Levi propositioned with a smirk on his face. Your hand flew and smacked him on the shoulder. 

 

“Very funny. You in or not?”

 

* * *

 

You had taken the back entrance into the gym so you could go change into Levi’s clothes in the locker room. The sweatshirt he had given you fit well but you had to roll the pants a bit to make sure they fit properly. When you were finished you walked out in the lobby for the locker rooms to meet Levi. The both of you had discussed how this would go down while you were in the car, which also gave more time so it gave your “hook-up” more validity. You reached up and started to ruffle Levi’s hair, but he caught your wrist and glared down at you. 

 

“What are you doing?” 

 

“Messing up your hair,” you told him while fidgeting your hand to break out of his hold. “No one fucks and looks that put together.” Levi seemed to contemplate this. 

 

“Fine but only a little bit.” You continued you ministrations a bit, making his hair just out of place enough that Erwin would notice. 

 

“Ready?” you asked. Levi rolled his eyes and nodded before walking out a few moments before you would. After waiting a bit you left the locker rooms too. 

 

Your eyes scanned the warehouse until you spotted Erwin’s large frame. Double checking Levi was over by the heavy bags warming up, you sauntered over to where Erwin was standing next to a ring with two women sparring in it. 

 

“Erwin,” you greeted, announcing your presence. Erwin nodded slightly in your direction and glanced at you after a few moments before doing a double take. 

 

“Crap. I forgot to pick you up didn’t I?” Erwin asked. You made a sound of affirmation and crossed your arms. 

 

“Don’t forget it was pouring rain too,” you added to the list of grievances. 

 

“I am so sorry Y/N. I got so immersed in Annie and Mikasa and just completely forgot,” he explained. A puzzled expression crossed his face. “Are you wearing Levi’s clothes?” You ducked your head, trying to appear sheepish. 

 

“Oh, um, yeah my clothes got wet from the rain.” Still seeming somewhat confused Erwin just nodded. 

“Well I’m just going to go work on the heavy bag a little bit, so come by whenever you’re done,” You informed him before making your way towards Levi. Erwin’s stare could be felt burning a hole in your back. Levi was waiting for you, leaning slightly against the bag. 

 

“Is he still watching?” you inquired when you reached the shorter man. He nodded in affirmation. Stepping to the bag next to him you began to warm up and throw some of the basic combos. After a few moments, Levi walked behind you and placed one hand on your hip and the other on your stomach. He pulled you flush against him, before leaning in to whisper in your ear. 

 

“It’s a really good thing the old man can’t beat me in a fight,” he whispered, “Otherwise you and I know I'd be dead by the end of the day.” A small giggle escaped your lips as you leaned back into Levi a little more. Loud footsteps could be heard approaching the pair of you. 

 

“I’m assuming that’s Captain America himself coming our way and not Mike the bomb sniffing dog?” you pondered. Levi let out a chuckle and a noise of confirmation. 

 

“You two?! Did you two? What did you-, when did-, how did-. No, no I don’t want to know how,” Erwin rambled with a flustered expression. You had to keep yourself from laughing outright as you untangled yourself from Levi’s arms and turned to face the blue eyed man. 

 

“Yes Erwin?” you asked sweetly, “Is there something you’d like to know?” 

 

“Did you two sleep together?” Erwin questioned after a few more failed attempts. “You’re wearing his clothes because yours got wet, oh god I don’t want to know why the hell they got wet, and Levi’s hair is messy and that just doesn’t happen naturally. You were basically groping each other,” Erwin’s rambling and frantic expression grew stronger and stronger as he put together the supposed evidence. You couldn’t take it anymore. He had to know or else his brain would be likely to explode. 

 

“Erwin! Just listen to me for a second. We’re-,”

 

“Together,” Levi interrupted while slipping his hand into yours. Your head whipped around to look at him with confusion. His hand squeezed yours and he had an expression that said ‘just go with it.’

 

“You’re what?!” Erwin yelped.

 

“We’ve been together for two weeks now. We just didn’t want to tell people because we were enjoying not having people pestering us about it.” Levi explained. “So to answer your question, yes we have fucked. Many times. In many places. Would you like to know more?” 

 

Erwin’s face went white and his head was whipping from your face to Levi’s, looking for any sort of contradiction to the information he’d just been given. You simply nodded, not trusting yourself to neither laugh nor scream at Levi for making this up on the spot. After a minute of silence, Erwin abruptly pivoted and walked right back to the ring he had been at previously. A small laugh could be heard from Levi. You turned slowly, a deadly glare on your face, to look at him. 

 

“You want to tell me what just happened there? Because that is not what we agreed on,” You told him with an angry tone, pulling your hand out of his.

 

“Come on Y/N. That was the most flustered I’ve ever seen Erwin. Tell me you don’t want to see that again. Think of how many opportunities we have to mess with him now,” Levi informed you. No longer were you the evil mastermind behind this plan, Levi had taken the helm of this ship and steered it way off course. After contemplating it for a moment, you decided it couldn’t hurt. You really were always looking for new ways to mess with Erwin, and if it meant you got to potentially see more of Levi, figuratively and physically, then you saw few downsides to this plan. 

 

“Fine. I’m in. But if you call me something like cutie patootie, this fake relationship is beyond over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow us at ktrivia.tumblr.com and zedsdead1001.tumblr.com


	7. Weigh Your Options

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's out!  
> This chapter was really tough and required quite a bit of research so I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Comments always appreciated!

You were sitting ringside waiting for Erwin to finish doing speed drills with Mike. Your old boxing shoes had been fairly worn before you picked up boxing again and these last few weeks had torn them to shreds with the extra training. Erwin had picked you up as per usual today because your “boyfriend” couldn’t be bothered, then you had gone through your usual practice. Now, you were back in normal clothes awaiting a chance to talk to Erwin about where to get new shoes and what to get. While you were waiting, you had pulled out your sketch book. Drawing was part of your job, but it was also something you enjoyed doing in your spare time, hence why you kept a sketch book with you normally.

Your mind had begun to wander while your hand began to sketch the ring and the scene inside of it. The pencil brushed across the page as the shadows around the edges of the ring and finer details of the ropes started to appear. Silhouettes of Mike and Erwin’s bodies became darker and more defined. Punching mitts could be seen covering Erwin’s palms as he stood firm awaiting the right jab Mike was throwing. The sketch became that moment frozen in time, which is one of the reasons you loved drawing. You were able to freeze a moment and keep it forever.

                “Huh I forgot you did something else with your life other than loiter here,” Said a deep voice while a head plopped down on top of yours. The feeling and voice, which you recognized as Levi, shocked you out of your thought process causing you to rip the pencil across the page while on a particularly heavy stroke. Aggravation flared slightly at the long dark line that now cut across the middle of the image.

                “Dammit Levi! I had a good sketch going,” you huffed. You moved to close the notebook but a pale hand shot out, stopping the action from occurring. Levi pulled the notebook from you, peering at the image.

                “Hmmmm I didn’t realize you aren’t horrible at this,” he said while flipping through the sketch book. You snatched the book back from him and stuffed it in your bag.

                “Wow thanks so much for that ringing compliment. It’s not like it’s my job or anything,” you muttered as you turned to walk away. Levi grasped your arm, inhibiting your retreat.

                “Sorry,” he mumbled, “I didn’t mean it.” Levi had his usual blank expression but his eyes were slightly more apologetic than his usual impassive gaze. The both of you stood there for a moment before Levi released your arm. “You should work on my advertisement stuff. Shitty glasses has been sub-par with her work,” Levi stated while pointing to a banner that was being hung up over the middle ring of the gym. The banner was very plain, just a black background with royal blue block font advertising a fight between Levi and a boxer by the name of Marco Bodt. Since Levi was a big name fighter and the entire community knew of him, the local promotional materials weren’t a huge deal but it definitely wouldn’t hurt for it to look better. TV outlets would pick up his major fights while the smaller ones would still have press present.

                “Yeesh,” you grumbled, “That’s kind of painful for someone at your level. Wait you have a fight this week?” your head had whipped back to Levi after checking the date on the banner.

                “Yeah,” he responded with a nod.

“Good job inviting your girlfriend to come watch.”

“Huh I didn’t even think about that. Just assumed you’d be here like you normally are or that Erwin would tell you. This kid is an up and comer but he’s still new to all of this comparatively.” Levi informed you.

“Since I wasn’t invited maybe I’ll go stand in his corner instead of yours since I’m just here anyway,” you said with a smirk. Levi huffed and ran his hand through his hair.

“Y/N, would you like to come watch my fight?” Levi asked in a monotone voice.

“Aw Levi I’d love to. How nice of you to ask,” you drawled with a false sweetness. You wrapped your arms around Levi’s neck, pulling him closer to you. He stiffened for a second under your touch before realizing that Erwin was looking in your direction. His arms snaked around your waist dragging your hips up against his. His grey eyes met yours. You could have sworn his eyes darted down to your lips.

“Y/N!” A deep voice shouted, startling you out of the accidental moment. Whipping your head around, you could see Erwin marching over to where you stood. “We need to talk,” the blonde man grumbled when he reached you.

“I have to go anyway. I was planning to go home early today,” Levi informed you. “I’ll see you later old man, you too Y/N,” Levi told you with a sly wink. His arms unwound from their resting place and he gave Erwin a nod before striding towards the locker rooms. You hadn’t realize you were staring at his ass until Erwin’s voice snapped you out of your butt induced trance.

“Y/N, we really need to have a conversation,” Erwin started.

“Yeah I know. That’s why I stayed late remember? I need to get new shoes.” You reminded the blonde man.

“I’ll just order you some through the gym. That’s not what we need to talk about. We need to discuss you and Levi’s dating life and if you want to make it public at the match. There are going to be press and fans swarming this gym and they’re all going to want to know the status of his dating life. Even if you weren’t dating they would still pester you because you’re a new woman in his life.”

You pondered this. Your prank had always been to antagonize Erwin and that was all.

“I’ll talk to him about it. We’ll see what happens.”

“If you do decide to make it public, make sure you do it appropriately and make it big,” Erwin instructed.

“Excuse me?” you questioned, surprised at Erwin’s change of opinion on this so called relationship.

“Strategically, it looks good for Levi to have a girlfriend. He’s an older boxer compared to some of these kids and he hasn’t had a public relationship before. He’ll appeal to a wider audience base.” It was apparent Erwin had gone into strategy mode at this point. Even though he personally couldn’t stand the idea of you and Levi dating, he knew that it would be better for business if you were.

“Again, I’ll talk to him. We’ll see what he says,” you told Erwin before hugging him goodbye and beginning your walk home. Once you were out the door, you pulled your phone out and dialed Levi.

                “The next sentence out of your mouth should include the word daddy in it,” Levi opened with. Your eyes rolled at his continuation of your inside joke.

                “Funny. Erwin and I just had a chat about our relationship, we need to figure some stuff out,” you responded before explaining what had been discussed between you and Erwin.

                “Hm. I’m not surprised he sees this as a strategic opportunity. I don’t like the press bugging me outside of a match, but I’ve gotten used to it. If caterpillar eyebrows wants to use us to advertise then why the fuck not tell people?”

 

* * *

 

                Your alarm went off causing you to sit up in bed abruptly. A groan escaped you since you didn’t want to be up this early on a Saturday morning. It was the day before the fight which meant that Levi would weight in today. Since it would be the first opportunity for the press to see the two of you together, you needed to be there early to go over information with Erwin. You flopped back down on the bed for a few minutes before finally rolling your way out of the comfort of your bed.

                After eating breakfast and getting ready to go, you started you trek to Levi’s apartment. Erwin wanted you both to arrive together in case any press were loitering around the gym. His apartment was only a few blocks away from yours so it was a quick walk. The building was higher end than yours with a doorman opening the door for you to enter.

                “Good morning miss, welcome to Sina apartments” The older man greeted. You nodded you head in greeting before making your way to the elevating in the back of the lobby. The lobby was classically fancy with shining wood floors and beige stone walls. All of the furniture was cherry wood with shades of dark burgundy or royal purple upholstery. The elevator button let out a soft ding when you hit it and the gold doors with the decal of a queen’s head on it, opened to let you in. You hit the button for the top floor and felt the slow ascension begin.

                Levi’s door was at the very end of the hall. You knocked on his door and waited for him to answer. After a few seconds, locks could be heard unlocking before the door swung open. Levi stood on the other side in just a pair of tight boxer-briefs. His expression was deader than normal.

                “Well, well, well, no one told me I’d be starting my day out with this view,” you told him as you crossed your arms and leaned against the doorframe.

                “Not in the mood Y/N,” Levi groused before turning to walk back into the apartment. “Get your ass in here so I can get ready. And make sure to lock the door behind you and take your shoes off.” Levi padded down a hallway, presumably to his bedroom, leaving you in the entryway. After kicking off your shoes by the door, you slowly meandered into the space Levi called home. The walls were a stark white with cement floors. Looking to your right, you saw a modern kitchen with black quartz countertops and spotless stainless steel appliances. Past the waterfall countertop, that functioned as a bar area, was a spacious living room area with sleek black furniture and a large television mounted on part of the wall that was actually opaque. On either side of the wall were floor to ceiling glass windows which included exits out to what you assumed was a balcony.

                You made your way to the couch in the middle of the living room and sat gingerly on the edge of it. Everything in the apartment was neat and orderly and you were afraid to disturb it. After about 20 minutes of you playing games on your phone, Levi emerged in warm up sweats decked out with his sponsor’s logos and the gym name on it. He looked slightly paler than normal, which was hard to do considering his normal lack of a tan, and his blank expression was more like a grimace.

                “How are you feeling?” you questioned; able to sympathize with him. At this point, Levi had cut out anything that could lead to unnecessary weight which included food and fluids so he was hungry and heavily dehydrated by now. You also knew he’d spent part of yesterday in a sauna or sauna suit trying to sweat out any excess water as water was a major contributor to extra pounds.

                “Shitty,” He responded almost in a groan. “Been doing this for so long but it doesn’t get much easier.”

                “I remember doing all this crap before a weigh in. It’s one of the things I don’t miss.”

Levi shuffled his way to the door and grabbed his custom gym bag. He unzipped the bag and rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out a black jacket with the name Ackerman embroidered across the back of it. He thrust the jacket out to you.

                “Erwin wants you to wear this the whole time,” He instructed. “You still want to do this?” You considered his question. Erwin was your closest friend and while you hadn’t known Levi long, you greatly respected him. You knew this would improve their images and increase business for the gym and make Levi’s ratings go up.

                “Yeah, let’s do this,” you replied with a nod while you reached for the jacket and proceeded to put it on. After you put your shoes back on, you walked out the door and waited while Levi locked up. Both of you made your way down to the elevator bank and went down to the lobby.

                “Are we driving or walking?” you posed.

                “Walking. I need some air.”

The doorman awaited your approach before opening the door for you.

                “Have a lovely day Mr. Ackerman, and to you as well madam.”

 

* * *

 

After walking a couple of blocks you were nearing the coffee shop you had run into Mikasa and Levi at, that had now become a regular stop for you.

                “Hey Levi,” you prompted while grabbing his arm to stop him, “Would you kill me if I ran in and grabbed a coffee?” Levi mumbled something and gestured you in with a flick of his wrist.

                “Good morning Armin!” you greeted. After coming here for quite a while, you had learned quite a bit about the blonde boy that worked behind the counter. He worked the early morning shifts to help pay for college since his parents and grandfather had died when he was younger and left him on his own.

                “Oh hi Y/N! How are you this morning? You don’t normally work on Satur-;” Armin prattled on before seeing a cranky Levi walk in the door behind you. “Good morning sir.” The smaller boy’s demeanor greatly shifted when he saw Levi enter. Apparently Levi only reserved his semi-decent moods for the people at the gym rather than the outside world. You approached the counter after an awkward moment and ordered your usual drink of choice. Armin busied himself to making it and you turned to speak to Levi who leaned heavily against the counter.

                “I know you feel like hell today, but you could afford to be nice to people on normal days,” you instructed. Levi huffed in response and you both stared at each other until a hand thrust a drink into your face.

                “Oh!” you exclaimed, startled for a moment after your inadvertent stare down with Levi. “Thanks Armin.” You waved and turned to leave but heard a low voice speak up behind you.

                “Oy shitty brat. You coming to the fight tomorrow?” Levi inquired. You spun around, confused at the context of the question, not expecting Armin to be a fan.

                “O-of course.” Armin stammered. “Mikasa is bringing us like normal.” Levi just nodded and walked past you out the door with you quickly following after him. It took you a moment but you caught up to him.

                “Armin goes to matches? I can’t see him doing that,” you explained.

                “Mikasa brings him and some other kid to them. They’re all childhood friends or something. Give me your hand.” His hand reached out and grabbed yours quickly. “We’re getting close to the gym, so we need to start looking like the happy couple.” For a moment you walked hand in hand before you wrapped your other arm around his. This pulled you closer together and made you seem more intimate than before.

                When you were about ten feet from the gym entrance you heard people begin to approach from the side of you. You looked past Levi and saw about six people with microphones and cameras approaching you.

                “Levi! Who is this?” One reported probed while shoving his microphone in Levi’s face. Cameras were flashing, capturing the moment of you two holding hands. More questions flew at you and Levi held up his hand to quiet the slowly growing crowd.

                “This is Y/N and she is my girlfriend. We’ve been dating secretly for almost a year now and finally decided to go public so she can be ringside at my upcoming fights. If you have more fucking questions I can answer them after the weigh-in. When I don’t feel like fucking shit.”

                Levi guided you away from the onlookers who were asking more questions and attempting to follow you into the gym. They halted when they saw Erwin standing firm in the doorway with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Levi squeezed past him with you in tow. Erwin shut the door behind you both.

                “Well that went according to plan,” Erwin stated. Levi dropped your hand and shuffled through the lobby into the main gym to go to Erwin’s office so he could go lay on the couch for a while.

                “I guess now is as good a time as any to go over those talking points,” Erwin stated.

* * *

 

                An hour and a half later you emerged from Erwin’s office. It had been decided that your romantic backstory would be that you and Levi had met almost a year ago when you had come to the city for a week to scope out the area for your job transfer and visit your dear friend, and household mastermind, Erwin. After a week of intense passion you both decided to keep in touch and try a long distance relationship. Every couple of weeks one of you would fly to see the other or you would be in the crowd to see Levi box. After he would fight you would stay secluded together for the rest of the time you were both in that city. Finally after all of this yearning for a real relationship (Erwin’s words) you had taken up your job on the position they offered, and you and Levi were happier together than ever.

                At this point you were all waiting on the arrival of Levi’s opponent and his team. You would let the team in first and let them get settled in the opposing locker room before letting the press swarm in. You were sitting next to Levi on a couch in the waiting room with his arm wrapped around you. Suddenly the main door swung open. A multitude of shouts could be heard from outside as the press had grown since your original entrance. A large group of people walked into the lobby all dressed in the opposing gym’s colors and sponsors, which were less well known than Levi’s.

                “Nile it’s great to see you again,” Erwin welcomed while shaking the tall man’s hand. Nile was tall with black shaggy hair and had a stern expression on his face. Next to him was a slightly shorter man with neat brown hair and freckles covering his nose and cheeks. You assumed that this was Levi’s opponent due to the warm up sweats he was wearing, however rather than the stern expression you expected, a smile was stretched across his face. You noticed he was holding hands with someone and you looked to see who he was with.

                “Jean?” you exclaimed loudly standing up from you seat.

“Y/N?” Jean questioned with a confused expression. People had paused at your outcry including Levi, who was giving you an odd look, but most returned to their greetings and discussions.

“Who’s this guy?” Levi asked in a bored tone as he leaned forward to examine the man you had addressed.

“Jean is my partner at work. We both are in charge of a new comic that’s being developed.” You explained. Lately you and Jean had become pretty friendly, especially once he stopped being so cocky. “We see each other every day and never figured out we both were dating boxers?”

“Well I knew for a while that you were involved with boxing-,” Jean started with an arrogant tone before an elbow from the man next to him hit him directly in the ribs.

“Don’t be an ass Jean,” The freckled man scolded while holding out his hand to shake yours, “I’m Marco. Nice to finally meet you Y/N. Jean talks a lot about your work together. Thanks for putting up with him.” You shook his hand in return. It felt odd for him to be this friendly considering he would be boxing Levi tomorrow. You also knew he had to be feeling crappier than Levi did because Marco was supposed to be a Super Welterweight, but his team wanted to utilize his height in the Welterweight class. Due to this he had to cut much more weight than Levi. Levi also had been at a pretty standard weight for quite a while now while Marco’s body could still change. Once he became a higher level boxer they would probably bump him back up to Super Welterweight or another class higher.

The three of you chatted for a few minutes before Levi could be heard standing up behind you, and you felt his arm snake around your waist and pull you closer to him. He leaned in to whisper in your ear.

“As riveting as this is, Marco needs to join his team that seems to be getting a bit miffed at the friendliness going on here. We can see if they want to go get drinks next week after the press has cleared out,” Levi told you before dismissing you both to go to his locker room to get ready. You were shocked Levi was willing to socially interact with people outside of the gym. You kept your mouth shut until you were both in the locker room.

“We’re going to see if they want to get drinks huh?” You questioned Levi as he washed his hands in a sink.

“You looked like you were enjoying yourself so yes you should see if they want to go get drinks. And because we’re together now I need to be seen with you out in public and hanging out with another boxer and his boyfriend will just add to the intrigue of our relationship.” He explained. You let out a sigh.

“Be thankful I respect you and love Erwin because I am doing so much for both of you by pretending to date you.” The water shut off and Levi slowly turned to face you.

“Respect? Is that all that applies to me?” Levi inquired while he approached you. He stopped when he was chest to chest with you, looking into your eyes with partially hooded lids. His hands moved to your hips and his fingers dug into them and pulled your hips tight against his. Your breath hitched at the sudden contact. Levi’s eyes flicked from your eyes to your lips. His head tilted slightly and you could feel yourself leaning in.

“Levi! We’re letting the press in!” Erwin yelled through a partially opened door. The two of you jumped apart abruptly.

“Fine. We’ll do the weigh-in in 20,” Levi responded. Erwin let out a confirming grunt before shutting the door behind him. You cleared your throat.

“Well, uh, I’ll just sit here and let you get ready.” A smirk was apparent on Levi’s face after you spoke. It quickly returned to normal as he started getting in the zone to meet the press. You sat there watching him do menial tasks to prepare himself. He made sure that any lint was off of his suit. He wiped off a shoe scuff and washed his hands again. He stared at himself in the mirror.

After about fifteen minutes had passed you approached him. He turned to face you and you reached out to adjust the collar on his warm up jacket. A nod was given in thanks before he held out his hand for yours and lead you to the locker room exit.

When the door opened, yells could be heard before the press could be seen. Erwin’s voice could be heard announcing Levi’s name to the crowd. Flashes blinded you as you exited the door. You could feel your arm being held in the air as Levi raised your conjoined hands to show that you two were together. Shouted questions were spouting out of reporters mouths and you had to force yourself to smile in spite of the anxiety that began to bubble up within you. Levi led you to the stage that had been constructed on one of the walls in the gym where they would do the weigh in and final face-off before the fight.

Once you had made it onto the stage, Levi kissed you on the cheek and then left you next to Erwin. The raven haired man walked to the center of the stage and waited as Marco was announced and he and his team approached. They made their way up with Marco and Jean joined at the hand. Marco met Levi in the center of the stage and they both faced the crowd.

Erwin stood between the two boxers and made some announcements regarding the match and thanking people who were part of the process to get ready. He then beckoned some officials onto the stage so they could begin the weigh in. Levi was announced again and he started to strip out of his warm ups. Since the fighters wanted to be at the lowest weight possible they had to be close to naked for the weigh in, aka it was boxer brief time again. Once Levi had taken off his jacket and stepped out of his shoes and pants, he stepped onto the scale next to him. The scale flashed all zeros before showing 145.6 pounds. Levi flexed and posed for the press as they snapped pictures of his weigh-in. Erwin announced the weight with a smile, happy that his fighter would qualify for tomorrows match. Levi stepped down and put his pants and shoes back on. You figured he didn’t want his feet touching the bare floor longer than absolutely needed.

Next, Marco was announced and he stripped off his clothes and stepped onto the scale. The lights flashed like before and a number showed up on the screen. 146.8 pounds. Some people in the crowd gasped while others cheered. His weight was very close to the limit but he was scraping through to the match. Marco posed for photos and then turned back to his team and put his pants back on. Levi and Marco both were moved to the center of the stage to face each other. Nile and an official stood slightly between them to prevent potential fights that occur after trash-talk would ensue. This was a common practice but it didn’t seem like these two fighters would be taking part in that. Flashes went off as the press got their final photos of the two fighters before tomorrow.

The fight was on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check us out on Tumblr at ktrivia.tumblr.com and zedsdead1001.tumblr.com


	8. The Night Before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize. I really had meant to post this chapter by the time I had set for myself. Unfortunately, there were some deaths in the family and within my circle of friends that took up a lot of time and energy. After that, I was out of the country for a while so posting wasn't possible. Thank you all for you patience and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Your feedback is always welcome!
> 
> P.S. Sorry for the three paragraphs of food porn midway through the chapter. I was reeeeeaaaally hungry when I was writing this and got carried away ;)

                After the press had taken more pictures of the two competitors, Erwin ushered Levi, you and the rest of the team into one of the locker rooms. Levi held a stoic expression until the locker room door shut behind the last person in the group. Once the door shut, Levi’s face slightly sagged with the relief of being out of the way of the crowd. The grey eyed man sat down on the center bench in the room. Erwin, along with Hanji and Mike, moved to surround him and discuss strategy for the following day’s fight. You leaned against a wall near the entrance, watching the team meeting take place and flashing back to your competition days. Erwin had posed in the same fashion with his arms crossed over his chest, peering down to assess his athlete. It seemed the towering presence of the large man didn’t intimidate Levi.

                You were beginning to zone out as you recalled old memories, when a low voice snapped you out of your soon to be trance.

                “Y/N,” Levi spoke, cutting off the team members talking to him. Your head snapped up at the sound of his voice and your eyes met. He nodded his head at the spot next to him, gesturing for you to come sit by him. Working to conceal your puzzlement, you made you way over to the bench. Mike moved to the side to make space for you to join the huddle. You gingerly sat down next to Levi, trying to figure out why he wanted you in the team huddle.

                Levi reached out and grasped your hand, pulling it from its place on your lap. He brought the back of your hand to his lips, while his eyes met yours. Your lips parted slightly at the contact. _Hmmm, what about Levi’s lips in other places._ A throat cleared, breaking through your lip filled haze.

                “Huh?” you questioned, with a snap of your neck to face Erwin. You could feel a small smirk appear on Levi’s lips before he schooled it back to a neutral expression. It took you another second, but you realized Levi had made yet another move to get under Erwin’s skin.

                “I understand you two, as much as it pains me to say, are together, but could you try to contain it for a bit?” Erwin scolded.

                “Sure old man,” Levi responded with a slight chuckle, “we don’t want to offend your innocent eyes.” Erwin’s Scowl deepened at the comment. He sighed before continuing on with the strategy session. Erwin laid out his usual night before the fight basics while Levi held your hand the entire time. About ten minutes into the conversation his thumb started rubbing circles around the back of your hand. Another twenty minutes passed before Erwin finished his lecture. With a large sigh Erwin ran his fingers through his blonde hair.

                “I think Y/N should stay over with you tonight Levi,” Erwin told you with an unhappy expression.

                “You what?!” you sputtered. Even Levi’s eyes widened slightly at the comment.

                “The press will still be out there when you both leave here and they will probably be near Levi’s apartment when he leaves in the morning. If we want to uphold the image that you’ve been together for almost a year, then it would make sense for you to stay over the night before a fight.” Erwin explained begrudgingly.

                “What about my clothes and stuff? It’s not like I brought a bag with my stuff in it,” you informed Erwin.

                “You can wear those jeans again,” Levi thought out loud, “and you’ll be wearing the jacket too so I can give you one of my shirts to wear. It should fit fine. Now that might mean you have to go without underwear tomor-“

                “Thank you Levi,” Erwin cut off the man. “That’s solved then. And I trust you two know the potential consequences if you were to engage in any of your more inappropriate activities,” he prompted while glaring at Levi. There was a belief by some people in the boxing community, while mostly unproven, that sex within a certain time frame of a fight would weaken the legs. Due to this, many boxers abstained from many sexual activities within a couple weeks of a fight at a minimum. Erwin wanted to make sure that his fighter would not be tempted to inadvertently risk his match by sleeping with you, although you being almost like a sister to him probably didn’t help matters.

                “We’re not going to fuck tonight Erwin,” Levi confirmed. “However, there are many many other things we could do like-“

                “Well we should go get Levi some food!” This time it was you who cut the man next to you off. You had already tortured Erwin enough for today and any intimate descriptions of you and Levi would probably torture you in a very different way. Levi consented to your interruption with the sound of his stomach rumbling. He hadn’t eaten in almost 24 hours and was ready for a plate of carbs to make up for the heavy depletion.

                “You two at the grocery store will probably provide a good picture for the press. It’s very domestic of you.” Erwin mumbled, strategizing to himself quietly. You looked over at Levi puzzled. You recalled on weigh-in day, there was food pre-made and waiting for you when you got home. Generally, you were unable to hold off from eating much longer after the weigh-in and if there was food at home it would keep you from eating unhealthy foods that would potentially inhibit your fight.

                Levi shrugged, “If I have food in the apartment before a weigh-in then I’ll probably eat it. I’ll eat a protein bar when we leave here and then pick something up to make on the way home.” Not completely understanding his reasoning, you nodded anyway. Levi stood to leave, pulling you up to your feet as well. Erwin fished a protein bar out of his pocket and handed it to Levi. The shorter man nodded his hand in thanks before dropping your hand so he could open the wrapper. As you were about to exit the locker room from the back exit, to get to Levi’s car, Erwin called your name. You turned to see him.

                “Can we have a moment Levi?” Erwin asked, not really leaving room in his tone for Levi to say no. Levi grunted.

                “Just hurry up. I’m fucking hungry. Y/N, I’ll be in the car.” He replied before exiting the building. You turned to face the tall blonde man in behind you.

                “What’s going on Erwin?” you asked softly. If he was holding his premier fighter back from a meal to talk to you then it must be something important.

                “Look, I know you two are in a new relationship, and that you both probably want certain things to happen,” he sighed, “but please be careful. I know, even though I choose to ignore it, most of this is probably physical lust at the moment, but you both have problems in your past. Don’t get too involved if it’s going to make either one of your recoveries worse.” Erwin paused a moment and ran his hand through his perfectly styled locks, mussing it. All you could do was nod and let Erwin engulf you in a hug. He was your best friend, basically your older brother. Of course this would be hard on him. You mumbled a goodbye and walked towards the door.

                “Oh and Y/N,” Erwin called, “If he ever hurts you, just remember I can take him in a fight.”

You entered the parking lot with a smile on your face and climbed into Levi’s idling car.

                “What did the old man want?” Levi questioned while putting the car into gear.

                “He was telling me how willing he was to punch you if you hurt me,” you replied with a smirk. “Feel free to hurt my feelings because I would love to see that pretty face get hit.”

                “Just think of what this pretty face could do to you when it’s in one piece.” Levi replied before he turned on the music in the car, effectively cutting off any rebuttal on your part.

 

* * *

 

 

Three songs later, Levi pulled into the parking lot of a local grocery store to buy food for that night and next day. You got out of the car and met Levi in front of the vehicle.

                “Well Levi, I can’t say I would have pegged you for hard rock kind of guy,” you told him. His eyes glanced at you while he walked through the sliding doors and grabbed a basket.

                “Tomorrow it’s classical only. There’s your one warning.” Before you could question anything Levi had started walking down an isle in the search for food. You didn’t even need to ask him where he was going. The pasta isle. Levi was looking for carbs and lots of them. An easy and tasty way to find those was through pasta. You saw Levi stop in front of a selection of whole grain pastas, glancing around until he found what he wanted.

                “So what are we having tonight?” you questioned as Levi abruptly rounded a corner into another isle. When he rounded the corner he reached out and grabbed your hand to yank you around as well instead of letting you keep going straight down another isle.

                “I’m making whole wheat fettucine with chicken breast, vegetables, and a lemon caper cream sauce.” Levi explained as he led you down the aisle in a search for capers.

“I can make breakfast tomorrow if you want,” you offered. Levi seemed hesitant before nodding in agreement. As you walked through the store you added in some items to the basket. It wasn’t until you were down to the final ingredients that you noticed you were still holding hands with Levi. Levi looked down to see what you were staring at. Seeing your conjoined hands he cleared his throat before he let go and returned to the vegetables he was looking through. Neither of you said a word until you got into the car again.

“Oh man I should have offered to pay for part of that,” you exclaimed. Levi waved you off.

“It’s fine. It wasn’t your choice to come over tonight and you’re making breakfast tomorrow.”

Some awkwardness still lingered during the car ride home, but by the time you arrived at the apartment it had dissipated. Hard rock music tended to do that with people. You grabbed some of the plastic bags and assisted Levi in bringing them up to the lush apartment, waving hello to the doorman from earlier as you passed. Levi started putting items away, even the ones he was going to use to cook.

“Um Levi?” you asked, puzzled. “Aren’t we going to use that stuff for dinner?”

“Just indulge me a bit here.” You watched as he continued to put items away and place the plastic bags into the trash bin. Once it was completed he returned to the fridge and pulled out the chicken breasts and vegetables that had only just been put away. You realized maybe Levi’s need for cleanliness didn’t just apply to the gym but also in other aspects of his life.

“Anything I can do to help?” you queried as he began to pour some olive oil in a pan. Levi shook his head.

“It’s fine. I like cooking. Helps me focus.” Levi explained as he continued his prep work. Sensing your unease at doing nothing Levi directed you to the drawer where he kept the silverware and told you to set the table. All of the items in the drawer were polished to a shine and set in exact lines.

 Broccoli, mushrooms, spinach and snap peas were thoroughly washed and chopped to perfection. The chicken was sliced into even strips and applied to a pan with olive oil, basil, and salt. Next water was poured into a large pot and set to boil for the pasta. Levi moved around the large kitchen space with fluidity. He used measuring cups but seemed to already know the exact measurements for all of the ingredients. He poured in the perfect amount of whipping cream and lemon juice without looking at the cups. It was almost mesmerizing to watch.

You excused yourself, once he was almost finished, to use the restroom and wash your hands. When you returned, Levi was plating the steaming food. The aroma was heavenly when you sat down in front of the plate. You noticed that the silverware had been slightly adjusted from where you had set it but chose not to bring it up. Any anxieties Levi had probably spiked before a fight, even if it wasn’t a big one. You looked to him for a cue to start eating, but instead saw him already gorging himself. It had been a solid 28 or so hours since he had eaten and he had to be starving. You didn’t understand how he had been able to make it through shopping and preparing food without eating more than a protein bar.

“So why don’t you have food in the apartment when a fight is coming up? Makes sense to me that you’d prep the food so you can just come home and eat,” you told him bluntly. You scooped up a bite of the pasta onto your fork and ate it. The taste was extraordinary. The pasta provided a base for the flavors to cling to. The vegetables were cooked al dente and added a freshness to the plate, while the chicken provided a heavier component. The chicken had been sautéed exactly to the right point, and had a punch of flavor with the basil and oil that had been added to it. The cream sauce was the real star of the dish though. The sauce was light and fluffy due to the whipping cream and coated everything in the dish. The lemon brightened everything it touched while the capers contrasted with a salty acid. You moaned in delight as you ate.

“Now if only I could make you moan like that somewhere else,” Levi stated with a devilish grin. Your mouth was full so all you could do was shoot up your middle finger towards him. His mouth widened more before flattening out again.

“To sum up, I grew up without much, if any, food around me at most points. Now, even though I’m not going to starve, if I have food at home then I’ll have a strong urge to eat it. If I don’t have food around then my brain goes back to when I was a kid and it’s easier for me not to crave it as much.” Levi returned to eating, looking down at his plate. Erwin had warned you that both of you had demons in your past. This must have been one of Levi’s.

“Ok,” was all you said before you returned to your meal. The rest of dinner progressed in silence except when you ragged on Levi for getting a third helping of food. You offered to help do dishes but Levi explained it was yet another calming past time for him. After the dishes had been completed Levi found an old shirt and pair of boxers for you to wear as pajamas. He directs you to the shower in the guest bathroom. You shower and put on the clothes.

Levi met you back in the living room, only wearing some briefs. Your eyes wandered down his chest, taking his sculpted abs and pecs.

“Oy, Y/N. My eyes are up here.” Levi said with false offense. You groaned.

“It should be illegal for you to have those abs,” you told him while continuing your perusal of his chest and arms. A strange look crossed his face before Levi took a step towards you, closing the distance between you both. You slowly dragged your eyes up from his abdomen to meet his grey ones.

“What are you doing?” you whispered hesitantly. Levi tilted your chin up to look directly at him.

“You realize when I win tomorrow I’m going to kiss you right?” You inhaled sharply at his comment. He was right, but you couldn’t let him just have his way.

“When you win? How presumptuous of you.” You murmured. Your breath mingled with his as both your breathing quickened. His hand touched your shoulder before trailing down your arm to wrap around your waist. Levi leaned minutely closer, his forehead touching yours. You could tell this would be a battle of wills; who would give in first to the temptation?

“If I kiss you tomorrow, for the very first time, it won’t look natural. We need to look like we’ve been doing this for a year,” he breathed into your ear. In response, you nodded slightly, agreeing with him. You should have probably kissed before now, but it almost made the whole situation seem real. If you crossed that line, would you be able to keep this as the joke/marketing stunt it was? Before you could ponder this more, Levi’s lips brushed against yours. It was a small touch, barely sensible if you hadn’t been hyper aware of his proximity to you.

“Come on Y/N, practice makes perfect,” Levi whispered with a breathy laugh. Your hands darted up to entwine themselves in his hair as you pulled his head down to meet yours. His lips met yours with a crushing intensity. This wasn’t a simple first peck on the mouth, this was over a month of pent up lust towards each other. His arms curled further around your waist, pressing you closer to him, making it where there was no space between you. You moaned against his mouth when you felt his teeth slightly nip your lower lip. After a moment, his arduous kissing slowed. Small, feathery kisses landed on the edges of your mouth as your mind tried to catch up with what was happening. Levi’s lips trailed up your jawline to your ear, where he took your lobe between his teeth.

“Goodnight Y/N. Sweet dreams,” he laughed wistfully into your ear as he slowly backed away from your figure.

“Hey Levi. Screw practice. I’d say I’m already perfect,” you said with a haughty chuckle. You watched as sauntered into his room and shut the door without a look behind him, a small laugh escaping him.

 

* * *

 

 

_Low toned laughs filled your ears as you opened your eyes. Black eyes met yours as the face of your father appeared. Those dark emotionless eyes held yours as a broad smile spread across his face. You knew what that smile meant. That smile meant you were in trouble. You had been bad._

_“Please don’t do this daddy,” you sobbed as you saw your father wind up for the hit. Pain pierced the side of your face as his palm landed upon your face. You called out for your brother, your mother, Erwin, anyone who would listen. All you could see were the people you called for appearing with the same black eyes, laughing at your pain and fear. You struggled to move away, to crawl out of their reach, but your hands and feet were bound in a mix of electrical tape and boxing wraps._

_“No!” you cried as they all moved closer, quickly converging on you. Hands gripped your shoulders, shaking you forcefully._

_“Y/N!”_

“Y/N!”

Your eyes snapped open as you abruptly bolted into a sitting position. Feeling hands still on your shoulders you scuttled backwards across the bed.

“No! Don’t touch me!” you screamed. You wrapped your arms around your knees, rocking back and forth, not immediately knowing where you were.

“Y/N,” a low voice spoke softly. Your sight slowly came into focus and you noticed the lithe black haired figure standing next to your bed with a somber expression on his face. Breaths were still raggedly escaping you when you realized it was Levi standing there.

“Hey, it was only a nightmare. I heard you yelling and thrashing from my room and came to check on you,” he explained gently. He made his way around the bed slowly until he stood in front of you again. Cautiously, his hand reached out to wipe the tears, you didn’t know were falling, from your face. A slight flinch escaped you from being touched so soon, but the kind stroke of his fingers opened up something in you. A sob escaped you as you threw yourself into Levi’s arms, much to his surprise. His past experience dealing with this kind of stuff normally didn’t end with the person wanting to be touched at all. He had only reached out because the thought of you crying made him uncomfortable for some reason.

You buried your face in between his shoulder and neck, letting tears flow. These nightmares were not a new occurrence, but having someone there afterwards was a new feeling. Instead of locking up the negative emotions for another time, you let them go. Even though Levi and you weren’t necessarily close, he cared enough to come check on you and for some reason that caused a wall in you to crumble. After a few minutes, your sobs quieted and breathing slowed. Levi gently pushed you back a little bit so he could look you in the eyes.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked quietly. You considered this for a moment.

“To sum it up, I was beat as a kid, actually up until pretty recently and I still get the nightmares and flashbacks. Let’s just say the boxing ring isn’t the only place I feel like my hands are tied up.”

Levi’s mouth formed a sad smile at your matching of his earlier phrasing regarding his lack of food growing up. Neither of you knew each other’s entire story, but an understanding had been achieved. All Levi could do was nod in understanding and wrap his arms around you again in comfort.

“Do you want me to call Erwin to come get you?” Levi whispered while running his hand up and down your back soothingly. You considered this option. Erwin had been your first call in the past when these nightmares occurred. Generally you would call him after you had calmed down and talk out what you were feeling after the fact.

“No,” you stated with as much confidence as you could muster. Leaving here would just prove to Erwin that you weren’t ready to move on with your life. He would hover more than ever, and while you loved that he cared about you so much, you needed to prove to him, and yourself, that you were capable of functioning as an individual. Also leaving Levi’s apartment in the middle of the night in another man’s car would create horrible press for the boxer, especially the night before a fight. You couldn’t do that to him.

“Ok,” Levi responded.

“Hey Levi?” you mumbled hesitantly, “can you stay here until I fall asleep?” You knew you were asking a large favor of the man, but you couldn’t imagine falling asleep again with only your demons in the room with you. Levi sighed and considered your query for a moment.

“Come with me,” he told you as he took your hand and led you from the room. Levi led you down the short hallway to a large white door that was ajar. Through the doorway was a stark, modern master bedroom. A king sized bed dominated the center of the room, covered with a black quilted comforter that had been pulled back. Starched, grey sheets were rumpled underneath. Two Dark cherry wood night stands sat on either side of the bed. A matching angular dresser stood across from the bed beneath another flat screen television. Large square windows bordered the bed as well and took up much of the space on that wall. The floor was a lush white shag carpet and the walls were slate grey to match the sheets on the bed. Two doors were at the end of the room and you assumed they led to an ensuite bathroom and closet.

“What are we doing?” you asked. Levi released your hand and walked over to the slept-in side of the bed. He climbed in and then proceeded to flip down the covers on the other side of the mattress. After a moment of watching you stand in the doorway Levi spoke again.

“Get in.”

You hesitantly made your way to the other side of the bed with your arms wrapped around you. You paused at the edge of the bed, giving Levi a last questioning glance. He nodded his approval and you slowly climbed into the bed. You laid there, your eyes meeting Levi’s and holding his gaze. He reached down and flipped the sheets back onto you, covering you up.

“Goodnight Y/N,” Levi murmured to you before rolling onto his other side and shutting his eyes. You stared at his back for a moment before turning onto your other side as well, drifting off into a, thankfully, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Like this story and leave feedback below!


	9. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after sleeping over at Levi's. Levi and reader are starting to realize they might be experiencing actual emotions for each other. What a concept.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this chapter was meant to be around 5000 words and include the first fight but I feel bad about not getting it up by the weekend like I had promised.  
> I'm hitting a wall on this and some new medications I'm on for the next few weeks are destroying any sense of focus I have.  
> So here is a shorter Chapter 9 than anticipated but it is up.

The soft sound of string music and piano drifted into your subconscious. Warmth surrounded you. You nuzzled back against the source of warmth as you drifted out of sleep. Your eyes slowly blinked open as you recognized the song Clair de Lune playing in the room. Stark white walls filled your vision as confusion overtook you at the unfamiliar room. Something nestled against you neck and hair, an inhale heard. An arm was around your torso, you realized. A sharp gasp escaped you when you realized who was holding you and whose bed you were currently in. Levi stiffened against you. Both of you laid there frozen for a minute before either did something otherwise.

                “Good morning Levi. Copping a pre-fight feel are you?” you questioned the man behind you. Levi’s arm tightened around you as a small chuckle escaped his mouth.

                “Oh you mean like this?” Levi whispered in your ear as his arm slowly made its way up your torso towards your breast. You realized this was going to be a competition of who broke first. You held strong until his hand grazed the underside of your breast before you scrambled out of bed.

                “What time is it? Don’t you have somewhere to be?” you questioned while trying to keep a blush from reaching your face. Levi laughed outright, a sound not often heard, before he flopped onto his other side to read the alarm clock next to him that was still playing classical music.

                “It’s only eleven.” He stated, “I don’t have to be there for another two hours.” He laid back down, covering his eyes with his arm. You grabbed the pillow you had been using and chucked it at him. He let out a sound of surprise as the pillow pelted him in the face.

                “Ok here’s the plan you lazy ass,” you commanded, “I’m going to go make breakfast while you shower and get ready.”

                “I will attempt not to ruin your kitchen,” you added as you sauntered out of the room, shutting the door behind you. A thud hit the door, the sound of a pillow, meant for you, hitting it. A laugh escaped you as you made your way to the high-end kitchen to start cooking. You didn’t start taking out ingredients until you heard the shower running. As you cooked, you thought about the day and night before. Neither of you had realized you were holding hands while you were grocery shopping yesterday. Was this your subconscious becoming more comfortable around Levi? Did it want something more? Connecting your subconscious thoughts with you conscious ones wasn’t an option due to not fully knowing what you wanted out of this. How far were you willing to go with this fake relationship? One day you would have to “break up,” but the thought of not being so intimate with Levi, as you had recently become, caused your chest to tighten.

                When Levi emerged from the bedroom, with only a towel around his waist, the smell of scrambled eggs, French toast, and cooked ham infiltrated his nose.

                “That actually smells good. I’m surprised,” Levi stated as he padded toward the counter. His voice had broken you from your internal debate.

                “Uh yeah,” you replied, still trying to organize your thoughts. Levi’s eyes squinted slightly as he tried to figure out you reserved demeanor. He had expected to get a rise out of you by showing up in only a towel.

                “Oh yeah sorry just thinking about some things,” you replied. Levi was willing to leave it at that in order to respect your privacy, but you spoke up again.

                “What’s going to happen when we break up for the press?” you asked quietly still staring at the eggs frying in the pan. “We have to stop pretending we’re together at some point.” All that could be heard was the crackling of the frying pan as Levi stayed quiet, considering your statement.

                “We could always stop pretending,” Levi said steadily. Your head snapped up and your eyes met his.

                “What did you say?”

Levi inhaled slowly as his eyes held yours.

                “I’m not going to have this full discussion now, I need to get ready and focus on the fight today. But let’s go have a very late dinner after I win and we can talk about it more.” You considered his proposition and nodded.

                “Ok sounds like a plan to me,” you informed him, “Now grab a plate and eat while I get ready.” Levi walked around the counter and approached the spread of food. As he served himself, you couldn’t help but admire everything that wasn’t covered by the towel.

                “Y/N, you’re going to need to stop looking at me like you want to eat me,” he muttered, “or else we’re not going to get to the gym in time because I will have to take a very long and very cold shower. So march your cute ass into my room and get changed.”

You laughed and responded with a “sir yes sir” and a salute before walking back to his room.

                “But you can call me sir anytime you’d like!” he hollered after you.

 

* * *

 

After you had gotten dressed, without underwear much to Levi’s amusement, eaten breakfast and allowed Levi to put on his sweat suit, the both of you went down to the lobby so you could retrieve his car and head to the gym. You entered the parking garage and got in the car to exit the building. As the door was opening, Levi put his hand on your thigh to get your attention.

                “Fair warning, it’s going to be hectic getting out of here and pulling into the gym. The press is going to be rampant so just try and stay calm and don’t answer any questions, it wouldn’t fit with their image of me.”

The garage door opened the rest of the way and you were blinded by flashing lights surrounding you. Cameras and reporters surrounded you and muffled questions could be heard through the window. You glanced at Levi and saw him scowling as he stared through the windshield. The press seemed spurred on by his annoyed and grim demeanor. An idea struck you and you rolled down the window sticking you head out the window. Levi’s composure almost broke as he saw what you were doing.

                “Hey everyone!” you yelled. The press quieted enough for you to be heard. “I’ll answer three questions about whatever you want to ask but then you have to let us through. So who has questions?” The press collectively raised their hands as if at a press conference. You glanced around and called on a man with a black shirt and blue tie on.

                “Why did you both wait so long to announce your relationship?”

                “We wanted our privacy. Yes, we’ve been together a year but we enjoyed not having people prodding into our lives. And of course avoiding situations like this one,” you replied with a wave of your arm, gesturing to the reporters blocking your path. A few let out good natured chuckles.

                “Next question!”

                “What’s your relationship with Erwin Smith?”

                “He’s basically my older brother. We grew up together and he’s my best friend,” you explained with a smile. Talking about Erwin almost always made you happy. “Last question!”

                “What do your families think about this relationship?” You froze at the question. None of you had thought of a response to this question.

                “Well, my very nonexistent family doesn’t give a shit about who I’m dating. That’ll be all,” Levi replied for you, grabbing your hand and tugging you all the way back into the car. The reporters didn’t move immediately due to their shock at Levi responding to a question.

                “Oy!” Levi hollered, “We answered your questions, now let us through or else there won’t be a fight today.” He began to slowly inch forward and the press scrambled to move out of the way. Windows were rolled up and the car pulled out into the street. Levi glanced over, worried about your silence.

                “I shouldn’t have done that,” you whispered, hands folded on your lap after removing your hand from his. He reached out and grabbed your hand again, setting them both on the center console.

                “Its fine,” he murmured, “It was pretty smart, you ok?” He squeezed your hand, figuring that you were still thinking about your family, to remind you he was there with you. You nodded, staying silent. The ride was quiet until you reached the gym.

                When the car pulled into the lot, after dodging yet another large crowd of paparazzi, you both sat there hand and hand for a few moments before Levi moved. He pulled your hand to his lips and kissed them softly, getting your attention with the soft touch.

                “After the fight today, let’s also talk about what’s going on with you. I don’t like seeing you like this. Scares the shit out of me Y/N.” Levi said, murmuring the last part quietly. You nodded in response before opening the car door and exiting the vehicle. Moving quickly, Levi met you at the front of the car and grabbed your hand again, leading you through the back door of the gym. A strong voice greeted you as you walked through the door.

                “Well done you two! The press is eating out of the palms of your hands, although I’m sure it’s all Y/N’s doing,” Erwin yelled across the gym as he walked towards you, reading what you assumed were press updates on his phone. “So what gave you the idea to-,” Erwin cut off seeing your still somber facial expression. He rushed over to you gripping the sides of face in his hands, questioning what was wrong.

                “I’m fine Erwin. They just asked what our families thought about us dating and it threw me for a loop.” You told him while meeting his gaze. Levi squeezed your hand again and this time you squeezed back. A quiet sigh of relief escaped both men.

                “Do you want to go relax in Erwin’s office while we talk business with the rest of the team?” Levi offered. Erwin shot Levi a look at offering up his personal space without his permission, but upon looking back at you his face softened. He sighed.

                “Did you want to use my office as Levi so kindly offered?” Erwin questioned. A small smile broke onto your face at the two men coddling you.

                “Thank you, but no I want to be involved today.”

With that, Erwin and Levi led you to Hanji’s office in the front of the gym. Entering the office, you found a larger space with a conference table, sitting area with couches, and a desk positioned in the corner. Hanji and Mike were already sitting at the couch when you walked in.

                “Wow Hanji, I didn’t know Erwin gave you such sweet digs.” You told her as you flopped on one of the couches pulling Levi down next to you.

                “Well when you’re the team doctor, and one of the administrators of the building the commander here has to give you some perks.” She replied with a grin. “That and blackmail of course.” A wicked grin crossed her face as she glanced at a now white-faced Erwin. Hange leaned across the couches to whisper conspiratorially to you.

                “I accidentally found some embarrassing pictures of him from his college days when I was trying to find something on his phone one day. One of them might have included a staff made of beer cans and a lampshade hat.” You let out a mock gasp at what she told you.

                “Erwin the scandal!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at ktrivia.tumblr.com and please leave comments and questions below!


	10. Knock out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's fight time everyone!
> 
> (I'm in a new semester at school so I'm hoping to actually have some semblance of free time to be able to write more and focus on this story.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I apologize for the extended period between chapters. Life can be a bit of a bitch sometimes.  
> I did have a question for everyone though!  
> I'm considering starting to write a book. I have a few ideas on premises and plots but I haven't decided what to go with yet. Do you guys think I could write one? Do you think my writing and story telling skills would be good enough to write one? I am fully aware I have a lot to work on skill wise but I want people's opinions on this

The meeting, which turned into a lot of small talk and getting to know Hanji and Mike better, lasted for a couple hours. It was good for you to get to know them more since Mike acted as an assistant coach for Levi during matches and Hanji stood as team doctor and the cutman. By that point it was time for Levi to eat again and prepare for the fight. The team moved to the kitchen in the back of the gym, which included a small eating area. Erwin had food brought in by a catering service for the pre-fight dinner. As time went on, more members of Erwin’s collective team began to filter in, as well as their friends. It was clear Erwin had been trying to make this boxing club into a family as well as a competitive entity. You sat at a cafeteria style table in the center of the room with Levi on one side and Erwin across from you. Hanji and Mike had also decided to join you. You rose when you saw a set of bright green eyes enter the room.

“Eren!” you shouted at the younger man. He had just entered with Mikasa and Armin. Eren rushed over to you and hugged you. You had bonded more at work over the last few weeks due to Jean’s constant attempts at pretending to be in charge.

“I didn’t know you’d be coming today!” You informed him. Another reason for your quick bonding was that Armin had figured out you worked with Eren and you both had the link of loving boxing. Eren was definitely more of a casual observer than you, but he used to dabble in the ring as a kid to get out some pent up anger.

“Oi! Shitty brat!” Levi hollered at Eren as he still embraced you. Eren released you and turned abruptly to face Levi, awe filling his face. You had heard Eren ramble on about Levi’s prowess in the ring before, and were not planning to watch him genuflect in person. While Eren occupied Levi, you spoke with Armin about his schooling and how his applications to medical school were going. Mikasa stood next to you, stoically watching Eren as he chatted Levi’s ear off. This went on for a little while before Erwin cleared his throat as a signal for Levi to go and start getting ready for his fight. It had been previously decided that Levi would keep to his normal pre-fight rituals, and get ready in the locker room alone, rather than have you join him. The next time you would see him would be when he came out for the fight.

At Erwin’s unspoken signal Levi disengaged from Eren and came up behind you. He wrapped his arms around you from behind and pulled you to his chest.

“I’m stealing you from these shitheads for a minute,” He muttered in your ear. His hands slid down your body until one of them gripped your waiting hand. He pulled you out of the eating area and into the kitchen portion of the cafeteria. Once you were out of sight, Levi pulled you into an embrace.

“Look I know I’m shit at telling people about emotional fuckery, but I just want you to be careful while I’m fighting. I don’t want some asshole press person or the bell ringing to set you off.” Levi murmured against your neck. You had frozen at the sudden affection from Levi but your body softened once he started talking. A small smile reached your face at his words.

“I’ll be fine Levi. Besides, I’m not the one who will have someone throwing punches at me. And yes I know you’re some legendary fighter but I can still worry.”

“Tch,” Levi huffed, “He’ll be lucky to land more than three hits on me. Just stay close to Erwin when he’s not in the ring with me, or pacing like a mad man around the ring.” You laughed, recalling Erwin’s old nervous habit of pacing during a fight. He was notorious for continuous pacing during even the most guaranteed matches. Pulling back slightly, Levi pressed his lips against your forehead before sliding his head down to press against yours. You shut your eyes and just listened to both of your breathing.

“And then we’ll get dinner and talk after I kick this kid’s ass,” Levi said with a small smile. You nodded your agreement before he pulled away and lead you back out to the eating area.

“Ready Levi?” Erwin questioned. Levi nodded once before walking out to the main gym to head to the locker room.  Erwin looked over at you.

“I’m going to help him get ready with Mike and Hanji, but I’ll come get you from my office right before we let the press in.” With that Erwin followed the raven haired man.

While you had been away, a trio of people had walked in. You recognized one as Bertolt Hoover, the tall boxer Levi had been wailing on the day you met him. The other two were blonde, one man and a woman. You realized the blonde woman had to be Annie Leonhart. You vaguely recognized her from small articles you had read about the up and coming boxer, and her unhappy expression confirmed it. Bertolt gave you a small smile, recognizing you from the few interactions you previously had. You approached the threesome to introduce yourself.

“Hi Bertolt,” You greeted the quiet man before turning to the other two, “I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you both.” You held out your hand to shake it with the blonde man.

“Reiner Braun,” He said with a cocky smile. “All access pass to this place because of these two boxers.” He gestured to his friends next to him. You nodded and turned to Annie, holding out your hand to her. She ignored your hand before replying.

“Annie,” she told you with no emotion before turning and walking to the line of food. The remaining two men stood there awkwardly before following her, with Reiner throwing out a, “Nice to meet you,” behind him. You shook off the unusual encounter and chalked it up to more odd personalities that were so prevalent in boxing.

At their dismissal you decided to take Erwin up on his offer to hang out in his office. Without anyone noticing, you slipped out of the cafeteria and headed into the main gym. The main ring was now surrounded by large padded bleachers that had been brought in for the match. Since this was such a small match, comparative to his normal competitions, the press would broadcast it but there wasn’t much of a desire for tickets. Erwin had purposely located himself, and his gym, in a city that wasn’t known to contain many boxing fans. He wanted to have his physically large gym with a small gym mentality.

Once you reached Erwin’s office, you let yourself in and made your way to the couch. You pulled out your phone and began to scroll through your social media. Boxing pages you were following were mainly focused on you and Levi’s first real public appearances together. The majority of news outlets spoke of a secret love story but a few others tried to call it a publicity stunt. The one overwhelming similarity you saw between all the news feeds was that people seemed to like you. They spoke highly of this new girlfriend who seemed positive and upbeat in contrast with the sullen Levi Ackerman. You continued scrolling until you felt your eyes become heavy. At this sensation you curled up into the couch and fell asleep.

_The door to the office opened as Levi slipped into the room. His pupils were dilated as he stalked towards the couch where you were sitting. He leaned over where you were sitting, his arms caging you in on either side. His face was inches from yours, your breaths mingling in the shared space._

_“Am I going to have to make the first move again, Y/N?” He asked with a smirk on his face. You responded by grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pulling him down to meet you. His lips met yours, kissing you harshly. Your tongue glided over his lower lip, beckoning him to open his mouth more. You could feel him smirk against your lips before he began to glide his lips down your jaw to your neck. His nose skimmed up and down your neck, teasing you. Finally, his lips pressed gently against the base of your neck. You moaned softly at the contact. He slowly began to kiss, suck and lick his way up your neck until he reached your earlobe, which he gently took between his teeth and pulled on. You let your head lay back against the back of the couch, giving him more access to your neck. He switched his mouth to the other side of your neck, repeating the process. You moaned every time he sucked on your neck and ran your hands down his chest towards the growing bulge in his pants. Your hand grasped around it and-_

The sound of a door slamming was what woke you from your very _very_ nice dream. You jolted up, turning towards the sound that had awoken you. Hanji stood in front of the doorway, a kind smile on her face.

“Sorry! I didn’t know you were sleeping. I would have been quieter,” She apologized. You waved her off for waking you and checked your phone to see how much time had passed. You had been asleep for almost an hour, and what a nice hour it had been. Poor Erwin would probably cry if he knew what had just occurred on his couch in your dream. You contained the grin that was forming at the thought of your Levi-based dream. Unfortunately, Hanji was more perceptive than you thought.

“Ok what has you smiling like that?” Hanji inquired. “Oh! OH! Wait I know! You were dreaming about Levi weren’t you? That’s what that kind of smile is from. How is Levi in bed by the way?” Hanji’s voice had risen in volume with her growing excitement. You rushed over and put your hands over the other woman’s mouth trying to quiet her.

“Hanji I’m going to need you to lower your voice and then we can talk more about this. Not my sex life, but the topic of Levi and I in general. Understand?” you asked. She nodded eagerly and you slowly removed your hands, waiting to see if she’d follow your instructions. Her next words were thankfully quieter but just as rushed.

“Ok so I was talking to Erwin and Levi the other day, ok actually I interrupted them so Levi had his usual scowl about that, and we were talking about Levi’s training and Levi was sanitizing his gloves like he always does because he’s weird like that. So Erwin starts talking about how you weren’t nearly as obsessive about it as Levi is but that you used to sit down and clean your gloves after a fight and that’s probably why they’ve lasted so long. And Levi actually SMILED. Like one of those smitten little smiles that people get about people they love and it was so adorable I basically swooned then and there. Well it was cute until I pinched his cheeks, then he hit me but it was so worth it.”

You waited a moment, seeing if Hanji had finished her very long and very rapid story, before bursting out laughing. The other woman joined you in your laughter.

“You actually pinched his cheeks? And you still have a hand?” you questioned. Hanji reaffirmed this by holding up both hands and wiggling her fingers. Your laughter quieted as you thought more about the story.

“He really smiled like that because of me?” you questioned hesitantly. A small smile formed on Hanji’s face.

“He really does love you Y/N. Or at least whatever the equivalent of love is for Levi. He’s almost happier.”

You couldn’t help the grin that was beginning to form at the thought. There was no way he could actually love you, considering you weren’t even dating, but a strong fondness would be enough for you right now. Hanji broke you from your thoughts by smacking her hands against her thighs before she stood up.

“Well we better get you to your spot before they come out. We want Levi to see your lovely face the second he comes out. Hmmm you know you have pretty pinchable cheeks too Y/N.” Hanji considered while reaching her hand out towards your face. You moved out of range of her hand, avoiding the inevitable cheek pinch that was sure to occur.

“Not a chance Hanji,” you chastised. You suddenly grew serious. “Take care of him in the fight for me ok?” You spoke to Hanji now as the team doctor rather than your friend.

“Of course Y/N. Always have, and always will.”

 

* * *

 

 

You hadn’t realized how sound proof Erwin’s office must be, because the second Hanji opened the door a wave of sound engulfed you. Erwin must have gotten caught up with Levi, because the press had already been let into the gym. The bleachers that had been brought in were fully expanded and covered most of the free gym floor. People filled the seats and it was standing room only in the limited remaining space. Hanji guided you along the edge of the gym to a roped off lane that ran from the locker room to the edge of the ring. She held up the rope for you to duck under and she led you toward the front row of the stands. It wasn’t long before the people in the stands and the press began to notice you walking towards the ring. Shouts sounded out around you and the camera flashes turned your way. You grinned, trying to make a good impression for the press, and waved at fans.

Once you reached the edge of the ring, Hanji gestured to a row of chairs that were placed in front of the bleachers. There was an open seat next to Eren for you to sit in. The rest of the row was made up of the boxers from the gym and the friends they had brought. Eren was nearly jumping up and down with excitement for the fight. He began rambling once again about Levi’s greatness, but was interrupted by the microphone crackling, much to your relief. You loved Eren, but when it came to Levi, he had a tendency to never shut up once he got started.

The Ring Announcer stood in the center of the ring with a microphone in his hand.

“Hello boxing fans! Welcome to Like a Titan Gym for the Welterweight match between Levi Ackerman and Marco Bodt! Let’s bring out them out! At 146.8 pounds here is Marco Bodt!”

Marco came out of the visiting locker room bouncing on his toes, smiling and waving at the crowd. There were some cheers, but mainly boos heard in the gym. Levi was a hometown favorite even though he rarely was seen in the community. Behind Marco was his entourage and in front was Nile, with a stern expression.

“Now let’s bring out our reigning champion. At 145.6 pounds, here is Levi Ackerman!”

Erwin emerged from the locker room with his patented strategy face on. Levi was behind him, bouncing from foot to foot with a deadened expression. Checking his eyes, you could see the focus and determination present in them. The hood of his hunter green robe was on his head and it shielded his expression from most of the press. As he walked down the path to the ring, he made brief eye contact with you, nodding in acknowledgement. He entered the ring through the ropes, which Erwin held open, while the rest of the team stayed behind on the ground. The two fighters met in the middle and a referee hopped into the ring to meet them. The referee spoke to them in a hushed tone. You knew he was telling them to protect themselves at all cost, keep it clean, and good luck. They touched gloves as his command and retreated to their corners. You glanced at Erwin who was already pacing the side of the ring.

The bell rang and the first round started. Both boxers threw their hands up and slowly moved towards the center of the ring. They each stared at each other, analyzing, waiting to see who would make the first move. Levi swung first. His left hook was executed beautifully. It speedily connected with the side of Marco’s head. While Marco couldn’t dodge quick enough he was able to land a couple of light jabs on Levi’s torso. Levi retreated and began to circle Marco again. More testing punches were thrown as the fighters analyzed each other. Levi rolled his shoulders under a right cross and came back up with a cross to Marco’s chest in return. Marco grunted in response and backed off as the bell rang signaling the end of round one. Both boxers retreated to their corners to speak with their coaches and get checked over by the cutmen. Erwin spoke in hushed tones to Levi while glancing over at an already worn looking Marco. Hanji looked over Levi quickly, asking him a question which he shook his head to. Mike removed Levi’s mouthpiece and sprayed some water into his mouth before replacing the mouth piece.

The bell rang again and Levi shot back up. He reached the center of the ring before Marco. Once the other boxer reached the middle, the referee signaled the bell to ring and the second round started. The next few rounds continued like the first. Marco would get in a few week hits and lower scoring combos to Levi’s torso and chest. Levi owned the ring during this time. He was landing hi scoring combinations and landing hits to Marco’s head and chest repeatedly. By the time round five came around Marco had begun to severely tire out while Levi was still raring to go. This was one of the few times you saw his high energy nature. While the match seemed to take little effort on his part, he still had a fierce energy surrounding him.

The fighters moved to the center of the ring once again and the bell rang to signal the beginning of round five. Marco moved quicker than he had in previous rounds and swung a right cross into the side of Levi’s mouth. When Marco pulled away you noticed there was a cut on his lower lip from the hit. Levi licked his lips and his eyes narrowed at Marco. A few seconds later Marco was on the ground from an uppercut that landed directly in the center of Marco’s chin. The referee got to the ground and began the countdown for Marco to get up. It was clear for the first few numbers of the count that Marco had been knocked out cold. You looked around in the stands and saw Jean standing with worry present on his face. A small bit of that concern faded when Marco started to move again. The ref got to the number six before Marco started moving. He began to try and stand up, struggling to get on his hands and knees, before falling again. The referee reached ten and the bell rang, signaling the end of the match, Marco being knocked out, and Levi’s victory. The referee held up one of Levi’s gloved hands and the crowd roared at his success.

The crowd cheered as the coaches and team doctors raced into the ring. Marco’s cutman got him to his feet slowly and began trying to guide him out of the ring. Marco halted him and slowly made his way to the center of the ring to touch gloves with Levi, and smile at him. You could see Jean had already made his way down to the edge of the ring to help get his boyfriend back to the locker room. You were on your feet cheering with the rest of the crowd when you saw Erwin signal you to come into the ring. You climbed up and slid through the ropes Erwin held open for you. You thanked him and turned towards Levi. Your eyes met. The same fierce energy you had seen in the ring was still present in his gaze. He quickly approached you and wrapped his arms around you, crushing his lips against yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him closer. You felt him slightly wince and noticed you tasted blood. You pulled away to apologize but he leaned back in and kissed you again. He ran his tongue against the lower edge of your bottom lip. You moaned quietly in response and pressed yourself closer to him, molding your body to his. The sound of a throat clearing was heard next to you.

Pulling back you saw Erwin with an amused but still disapproving expression.

“If you two are done, I’m going to take Levi to speak with the press and then get changed. Also I want Hanji to check that lower lip again before you leave.” Erwin stated.

“I have much better things to do at the moment,” Levi muttered before leaning in to kiss you again. Erwin grabbed the shorter man by his waistband and pulled him away from you.  Levi muttered some choice words at this interruption before allowing Erwin to unstrap and remove his gloves. Erwin begrudgingly exited the ring to give you both as much of a private moment as you were going to get. The crowd was filtering out, with the help of hired security, and the press had moved to the lobby to receive Levi’s statements regarding the match. Levi grabbed your hand in his still wrapped one.

“Congrats on the win,” you told him with a squeeze to his hand. “You did great. Not that I’d expect anything less”

“Of course I did. He’s a new brat in this sport. There was no fucking doubt I’d win.” He said with a cocky smirk. You smacked his chest with your other hand, earning a small wince. He probably had a developing bruise where you had hit him, but someone had to keep his cockiness in check.

“I’m going to go talk to the press, then I’ll get changed and we’ll head to dinner,” Levi told you softly, his demeanor shifting. He gently ran his hand up and down your arm.

“We don’t have to go if you’re too tired,” You explained. His body had been going through a lot the last couple of days with the match and weigh in, and you didn’t want him to push himself to hard.

“Tch. I’m fine. Besides we have some stuff to talk about remember?”

You nodded in response and headed to the edge of the ring. He held the ropes open for you and followed through them after you reached the ground. He led you by the hand to the lobby where you were both greeted by camera flashes and shouted questions. He kissed you on the cheek before letting go of your hand and heading to the stage that had been set up. He sat behind a table next to Hanji and Mike. Erwin stood at a podium to field press questions. The press conference lasted about twenty minutes. You stood in the back and began to zone out after the second question.

You thought about that morning and the dinner to come. Levi had said he wanted to talk about making this a real relationship. You were finally starting to admit the feelings you pretended to have for the press were starting to become real. Levi had a past you didn’t know much about and the same went for you, but you were hopeful dinner tonight could clear up some of the questions that may arise in a future relationship. You were startled from your thoughts when you felt a hand touch your shoulder. Looking over you saw Hanji standing next to you, vying for your attention. Erwin, Mike and Levi had already left for the locker room and hired security was escorting the press out of the lobby to the building exit. Hanji led you back into the main gym. The both of you talked about the fight for a bit. You questioned the state of Levi’s lip and she affirmed it was just a cut and some minor swelling. He had most likely bitten his lower lip when the punch landed.

Erwin and Mike exited the locker room and headed towards his office. Erwin made eye contact with you and nodded towards the locker room, signaling you could go to the locker room to see Levi. You nodded in acknowledgment and said your goodbyes to Hanji and thanked her for looking after Levi during the match.

You crossed the gym to the locker room and entered the main area of it. You heard voices coming from the bathroom area and quietly walked over. Levi’s voice was recognizable as one of the people speaking, but you couldn’t precisely make out the second voice. It went quiet as you turned the corner. When you rounded the corner, you saw Annie with her arms around Levi’s waist, kissing him hard on the mouth. You saw his hands touch her chest and felt yourself fill with anger.

“Damn you Levi,” you said quietly. Your words were audible enough to be heard. Levi’s head shot towards you, realization in his eyes. You heard him mutter something to her as he shoved her away. He began to stride towards you. You turned and ran out of the locker room to Erwin’s office with Levi yelling your name behind you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to check out my tumblr at ktrivia.tumblr.com  
> I mainly just post funny reblogs and whatever I find interesting in the world.


	11. Cross to the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will happen with Levi and Y/N?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow two chapters in one week. It's a miracle!
> 
> I do have a question for everyone!  
> I'm considering starting to write a book. I have a few ideas on premises and plots but I haven't decided what to go with yet. Do you guys think I could write one? Do you think my writing and story telling skills would be good enough to write one? I am fully aware I have a lot to work on skill wise but I want people's opinions on this

Levi’s POV

 

Press conferences were annoying. They always had been, but they were a tedious part of being a boxer. They always were the same questions. How did you prepare for this fight? What were you thinking during the match? What gave you the advantage?

I looked out into the medium-sized crowd to try and spot Y/N. After a few seconds of searching, I spotted her in the back of the lobby leaning against the wall. She had a distant expression and didn’t seem to be paying attention, which I couldn’t blame her for. She had the luxury of being able to zone out for this entire session of bullshit. Erwin was fielding the questions and directing them to me when necessary. He knew I didn’t like to answer shit that was repetitive so he’d try and answer some for me. The old man had just finished answering a question and called for another.

“Levi! What was it like having your girlfriend there for a match?” The reporter yelled. Erwin glanced over at me and I sighed, knowing I would have to be the one to answer this. I looked back at Y/N but she still wasn’t paying attention. I would have thought that kind of question would get her attention, but she still seemed to be lost to the world. I moved the concern I had to the back of my mind for a later point.

“She’s my girlfriend. I was happy to have her there. What else would you expect?” I responded. The reporters were used to this type of attitude from me. I signaled Erwin to cut off the questions. Something was up with Y/N and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything residual from the nightmares the night before. The sooner I ended this press conference, the sooner I could check on her. Feeling something like this towards someone was not a new thing for me, but it had been a long time since I cared about someone. Erwin called a close to the press conference and security started to shuffle the press out of the building. I began to follow Erwin back to the locker room and noticed Y/N still hadn’t moved. I grabbed Hanji, who had been sitting next to me on stage, and nodded towards Y/N. Hanji caught on quickly and said she would get her to the locker room after I was done getting changed.

Mike and Erwin led me back to the locker room to talk through the fight and change. When we arrived I sat down on the bench to listen. They both agreed I should have been able to block or dodge the cross that hit my lip, but otherwise decided most of my performance was solid. Erwin was never one to call something perfection. There were always little changes that could be made to improve my performance. After we were done talking they left so I could have some privacy to change. I walked over to the showers so I could get clean before I left. I liked boxing but hated how dirty it made me. So much sweat and blood.

As I was going to turn on the shower, I heard a voice behind me.

“That kiss you had with your girlfriend in the ring was pretty hot Levi. Does she know that while you were supposedly dating we were together?” Annie asked. She was leaning against the half wall partition between the shower and locker room areas.

“We weren’t together Annie,” I responded flatly while turning to face her. She had an obnoxious smirk on her face. She sauntered over to me, stopping about a foot away, and began to pout. I hated pouting.

“Oh come on Levi. You can’t tell me you don’t want to get back together again. It’s been what? Two months? You’re not fucking her so why not have it with me?” She pondered to herself.

“Again, since your brain can’t fucking grasp it, we were never together to begin with. We were friends with benefits. Not even that because we’re not friends. We fucked a few times. That’s it. Go after Bertolt for fucks sake, or if you really need it that bad use your right hand. I’m with Y/N now so back the fuck off.”

Annie’s face contorted in anger, before she lunged at me. Her mouth roughly connected with mine, teeth hitting the lip I had just cut. I grunted at the contact. I didn’t move for a moment, initially surprised at the sudden move by her. I put my hands on her chest to push her away when I heard a muttered voice.

“Damn you Levi,” Y/N muttered. I whipped my head around and saw her glaring at me, fury in her eyes.

“Fuck off Annie,” I cursed before shoving her away harshly. I began to walk towards Y/N when she turned and fled from the locker room. I yelled her name and moved to go after her, leaving Annie alone in the locker room.

Opening the door to the main gym, I saw the door to Erwin’s office being slammed shut and heard the lock click into place. I knew she would go straight to Erwin, but was hoping to be able to intercept her before she could reach him. Even though I knew it was locked, I shook the door handle, trying to gain access to the damn office. I began to pound on the door.

“Y/N! It’s not what you think ok? That was all Annie being the piece of shit she normally is. Just let me exp-“ I yelled until Erwin opened the door. I could see Y/N sitting on the couch behind his huge form, glaring at me, but there were also questions in her eyes. Erwin shoved me out of the way and shut the door behind him. His gaze was filled with anger and puzzlement, purely directed at me. Knowing him, he’d want to get his comments out in the open so I stayed quiet until he spoke. He sighed before speaking.

“I know it wasn’t your fault,” he started with, “whatever this is. I can gather from what you yelled through the door that Annie made some kind of romantic move on you and Y/N saw. I can also assume it was Annie who initiated this because for you to actually call someone your girlfriend means something. I’ve never seen you do that before. It’s always been carnal for you only.”

“Annie is a piece of shit Erwin. You know that. We hooked up a few times in the last year and she tried to move in on me again tonight. She kissed me, and I was going to push the brat away, but Y/N walked in before I could do it.” I ran my hands through my hair, in exasperation. “I feel something for her Erwin. It’s not love, not yet, but there’s something there. I wouldn’t hurt her.” I froze as I realized what I had just admitted. Erwin’s eye lit up at the comment regarding my feelings towards Y/N, and I begged whatever fucking deity was up there for him to move on. I did not need to be discussing my feelings with him right now or ever.

“I’m not angry about what happened with Annie. I’m angry Y/N is upset. I’m also angry you didn’t tell her something had happened between you and Annie in the first place. If you two are going to be together then why not tell her you had relations with a woman who also boxes at the same gym?” Erwin questioned. I knew that I couldn’t tell Erwin we had been faking the relationship up until this point because the old man would actually try and kill me.

“You know I’m new to this relationship shit. Didn’t even think about it.” I explained, hoping it would be enough to cover my ass. Erwin thought about it and nodded in agreement.

“Well, all the blows to the head you get would make you forgetful,” he joked with a small smile. I scowled in return.

“Just wait until I tell Marie that you called the term hookups, “carnal relations” in normal conversation,” I responded. Erwin winced at the term and the thought of hookups in general. The man could be so childish when it came to these topics.

“If I let you talk to Y/N can we never speak of that again?”

“Of course caterpillar eyebrows. I have plenty of other shit on you anyway.”

 

* * *

 

 

Your POV

You could hear the low voices of Levi and Erwin through the door. You were trying to listen through the door but it was hard to make out the exact words, although you were pretty sure you heard the term “Carnal relations” and assumed that had to be Erwin. As you were about to grab a glass of Erwin’s desk, to try and eavesdrop more efficiently, the door handle began to move. You raced back to the couch and sat quickly as you tried to avoid discovery.

When the Erwin opened the door he looked at you with amusement, knowing you had been eavesdropping in on their conversation. You were notorious as a child for trying to listen in to private conversations, and he knew it hadn’t changed as an adult. Erwin held the outward swinging door open and allowed Levi to pass through and warned you both not to kill each other, before closing the door and leaving you two alone in the office. Levi had a flat expression but remorse was present in his gaze. You waited for him to speak, assuming he would try and explain himself. It was silent for a few moments before he said anything.

“She kissed me,” He started with, “We used to hookup sometimes before I met you, so she made another pass at me tonight. She was waiting for me in the locker room and made her move once Mike and Erwin left the room. I was going to shove the brat away when you walked in and saw what was happening.”

You stood there for a moment, considering his explanation. You hadn’t expected to see Levi kissing someone when you turned that corner. For all his quirks and gruffness, you didn’t see him as someone who would lead a person on to then not follow through. You analyzed his face and saw his eyes slightly narrow as he tried to figure out your line of thought.

“I understand,” you stated, “I don’t like it and you should have told me, just so I’d know how to react to Annie in general, but I understand. I also don’t blame you for her pulling shit like that. Actually, I do kind of blame you. That’s what you get for being sexy as hell.” You said this with a grin, and offered the joke as a peace offering. He smiled instead of smirked when he gave his rebuttal.

“What can I say? It’s a gift.”

You reached out and hugged him. He was hesitant to reciprocate the affection at first, but then proceeded to respond by wrapping his arms around you as well. His hands ran slowly up and down your back. You pulled away slightly and your eyes met his. His eyes darted from your eyes to your lips as you both began to slowly lean in. The door opening interrupted this as Erwin cleared his throat to get your attention. Your head snapped to Erwin at the sound and Levi buried his head in between your shoulder and neck with an annoyed groan.

“I’ll assume you both made up and were about to come get me rather than have this progress any further physically in my office?” he questioned. You worked to contain a blush as you thought about your earlier dream about a certain type of physical activity on Erwin’s couch.

“Tch. Of course not Erwin. We’d go somewhere better than your shitty office,” Levi responded flatly. It was silent for a moment, as Erwin and you registered Levi’s comment, before you began to laugh at Levi’s comment. Even Erwin cracked a small smile at the comment.

“To celebrate the win and the both of you still being together, much to my chagrin, let’s go get milkshakes. On me of course,” Erwin explained, moving to grab his coat.

“Actually Erwin,” you interrupted, “Levi and I have a dinner date I believe. Maybe tomorrow?”

Erwin got a fond look of understanding and nodded in agreement. Levi looked surprised at this revelation. You grabbed his hand and led him out of the office and into the gym toward the locker room.

“Go finish cleaning up and sanitize your gloves,” you directed knowing he would appreciate the relief of everything being clean, “and give me your keys so I can go wait in the car.”

 

* * *

 

 

You sat in the passenger seat and listened to your favorite genre of music, which streamed through the speakers of the car. You had located the aux chord when you got in, and proceeded to hook up you phone. You settled into the seat knowing Levi could be a while due to the need to be as clean as possible. About 25 minutes went by before you heard a knuckle rapping against the window.

“Let me in Y/N,” Levi muffled through the glass. You unlocked the door and handed his the keys as he entered the car.

“Why are we listening to this shit coming through the speakers?” Levi questioned as he started the vehicle.

“You go to pick the music last night and today. While I appreciate Mozart, Bach, and their hard rock contemporaries; I would like to listen to something off of my playlist,” you explained. Levi grunted in consent and allowed you to keep playing your music in the car.

“If you get to pick the music then I pick where we eat. I don’t trust you to pick somewhere yet. You haven’t lived here long enough,” he stated a moment later. You agreed with him and allowed him to choose the restaurant. The ride was quiet and neither of you spoke until Levi stopped the car and informed you of your arrival at the restaurant.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at ktrivia.tumblr.com for random reblogs and funny shit


	12. Italian for Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert apology for the wait here*   
> Thank you all for the kind comments you've been posting. They're greatly appreciated and keep me coming back to this story.   
> I will hopefully have the next chapter done soon, but apparently smut is harder to write than it used to be for me. But never fear, it's in progress

The drive to the restaurant only lasted about 20 minutes as Levi drove towards the edge of the city limits. You had expected to stay in the center of the city, close to where the gym was, but Levi was driving further out of the heart of the city. The car entered a fenced in back parking lot of a small white building. The paint on the walls was peeling and a battered black door marked the back entrance. Levi put the car in park and exited the car, with you following close behind.

                “Levi I’m really hoping you’re not actually a serial killer who has brought me to his secret lair,” you commented, your voice tinged with questioning as you tried to figure out where you were. There were a few other cars in the parking lot but there was nothing else denoting what this place was.

                “Tch, killing people is too messy. Not enough hand sanitizer for it.” Levi responded as he knocked on the back door and waited for an answer. A few moments later the door swung open and an older bald man answered. He had wrinkles framing his smile and a mustache perched upon his upper lip.

                “Levi! You made it! It’s been too long since you’ve been by. Is this a girl I see?” The man asked while looking you up and down. “Hello dear, I’m Dot Pixis. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Rather than hold out his hand for a shake, the man reached out and pulled you into a hug. You stood stiffly for a moment before reciprocating the affection.

                “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” you responded. Dot held out his arm for you to take and he led you through the doorway. Beyond the door was a small storage room with tables and chairs. He led you to another door and opened it for you. A modest sized space greeted you, filled with the smell of oregano and garlic. The walls were faux red brick with white borders. Gingham print tablecloths decorated the tables along with paper placemats with maps of Italy on them. There were also fake candles sat in the center of each table. You couldn’t really picture Levi sitting at one of these cheesy set ups but you were certainly looking forward to the sight. Dot beckoned you further onward to another small side room with dark walls and a small two-person table. The table had no table cloth or placemat and the candle was real this time. You and Levi sat down and Dot dismissed himself.

                “Well Levi I’ve got to say, I was really looking forward to seeing you eat off a gingham tablecloth,” you said, breaking the brief silence. He looked up and glared at you.

                “Never Y/N. I will never be seen sitting at one of those tables,” He muttered with a huff.

                “You know, the last name Pixis doesn’t really sound Italian,” you pondered out loud.

                “That’s because he’s not. The old man just really likes Italian food. After he retired from the Army, he got bored and his wife made him open this place so he wouldn’t ruin their kitchen with all his cooking.”  Levi explained this all with a small smile and you couldn’t help but laugh. Once you had calmed down, Dot walked back into the room with two menus before leaving towards the main restaurant again. The mood turned serious once Dot left.

                “So I suppose we should talk about stuff,” you said quietly. Levi sighed in response before speaking.

                “Look you don’t have to tell me all the details, but what happened last night with your nightmare? I’ve been in that situation before and I want to help, but I can probably help more if I know what’s going on.” Levi said this while looking in your eyes, searching for answers. You were quiet for a moment and jumped when you felt Levi’s hand grasp yours on the table. He squeezed it gently.

                “I was having a nightmare about my father. They’ve been happening on and off again recently. He’s either beating me or has me tied up in our basement again. Sometimes it’s him and my brother doing it, but it normally ends with me crying out for help. Which you saw…. Last night,” You explained with a slight shudder. Levi’s expression stayed flat as his thumb rubbed back and forth against the back of your hand. He nodded for you to continue.

                “I froze up this morning when they mentioned our families I guess because I hadn’t expected it and it just threw me back to my nightmare.” You looked at the ground as you said this, unable to meet Levi’s eyes. A hand cupped your cheek and tilted your chin up to look at him. Levi was standing, leaned over the table with his face inches from yours.

                “Hey Y/N, it’s ok. You can talk to me about this stuff if you want. I’ve been in the same situation before. Abusive Uncle. We both have our issues. And I don’t know what exactly it is that I’m feeling towards you yet, but I want us to try being together; no more pretending to date. Let me help you through this. I know Erwin is like a brother to you but let me be there for you too. I’ll even take on the old man to actually date you if I have to.” You laughed at his final comment, and felt him wipe away a tear you hadn’t known was falling. You both gazed at each other, leaning in slowly. Your eyes fluttered shut as Levi pressed a soft kiss on your lips. Your free hand reached around to the back of his head and pulled him harder against you, increasing the intensity of the kiss. Before it could go any further, the sound of someone clearing their throat could be heard.

                “Now I’m sure I have an available table in the main dining room if you two can’t keep your hands to yourselves,” Dot said glancing calmly between the both of you. You leaned back quickly at his comment, causing your chair to rock, while Levi slowly pulled away and sat down, his hand still holding yours. He had a smirk present on his face as he glanced at Dot.

                “Oh come on Pixis, you knew what you were walking into. You just decided to wait to come in here. You’ve been outside the door for the last five minutes.”

                “Meaningful conversation I won’t interrupt, hanky panky occurring in my restaurant, I most certainly will interrupt. Now if you both are ready to order?”

                Levi placed his order, and you did the same afterwards. Dot brought out garlic bread for you to share and told you the food would be there shortly.

                “So we’re dating then? Going steady? Doing that whole couple thing?” you question. “I don’t want to push anything, but I just like to know where I stand with people.”

                “Yeah, we’re going steady you idiot,” Levi responded with a small laugh. “But I’m setting some rules.” You tensed at his phrasing. Rules were not good things in your life. Levi noticed your reaction and began stroking his thumb over your hand again. “Hey, they’re not bad things. Consider them guidelines.” You relaxed slightly after hearing this, nodding for him to go on.

                “Ok first, if something happens, whether it’s a nightmare or panic attack, I want you to tell someone. It can be me or Erwin, or Hanji if you want your fucking ear talked off after, but you can’t hold any of it in.” Levi paused waiting for your agreement, which you gave by nodding. “And the other one is tell me if anything might set you off. We know the hand wraps for boxing sometimes do it, so if anything else has that effect tell me. Can you agree to both of those?” His hand grasped yours tighter as he waited for your response.

                “I’ll agree Levi, but only if you’ll agree to the same conditions as well,” you stated. Levi nodded in agreement. Levi’s eyes met yours, and you gazed at each other until Dot came in with your food. He explained they were closing the restaurant due to the late hour and instructed you both to leave the plates and exit the back door. Apparently, Levi had done this before since he knew where the hidden key was located to lock the back door. You took a bite of the food and moaned in delight at the flavor. Dot had seasoned everything perfectly and the sauce was exquisite.

                “Hopefully I can get you moaning like that at some point soon,” Levi murmured, his voice dropping lower. At this Dot stuck his head back into the room and told you both there was to be no funny business in his restaurant. You laughed at this while Levi glowered at the restaurant owner. The two of you returned to eating in silence until you jumped from Levi’s foot knocking against yours.

                “Sorry,” he muttered before going back to his food. You also returned to eating but a smirk formed on your face. Slyly, you slid off your shoe and slowly slid your foot over to Levi’s. He too slightly jumped at the contact, but calmed after he felt your foot travel up his leg.

                “Yes Y/N? Can I help you?” Levi asked with a smirk while still focusing on his food. All you could do was form an innocent smile while slowly moving your foot higher up his calf. As you moved higher he said your name again with a note of warning in it. Passing his knee, your foot made its way to the edge of his thigh.

                “Not the time nor place Y/N,” Levi stated with a glare at you.

                “What did I do?” you questioned innocently while laying your leg across one of Levi’s knees. “I just wanted a footrest.” Levi grunted at your statement and you both returned to your food until you felt his fingers lightly skim your calf. Looking up at him, you cocked an eyebrow in question. Levi raised an eyebrow in return as his fingers continued to massage and trace their way around your lower leg. Noticing you both had finished eating, you removed your foot from his leg before standing up from the table.

                “Uh I think I should be getting home soon,” You stated. While he had only been rubbing your leg, you were not anticipating this from Levi and it had affected you more than anticipated. Levi nodded in agreement while standing up and moving over to your side of the table. He held out his hand, waiting to see if you’d take it. Without hesitation, you intertwined your fingers with his and let him lead you towards the exit. His thumb rubbed circles around the back of your hand and the touch sent electricity coursing through your entire arm. He opened the back door and held it open for you to exit. You asked him where the secret key was which Dot had mentioned earlier. At this question Levi pulled out his keys from his pocket and found the correct one before locking the door behind him. He noticed the questioning expression on your face.

                “I’ll tell you one day why I have the key, but not tonight,” He told you with a sigh. He moved to walk away to his car, but stopped when he felt you pull against his arm. He turned and was met with your lips pressing against his. He was stiff from surprise for a moment before relaxing and easing into the contact. Your hand drifted from his arm and moved to entwine itself in his hair, the other grasping the side of his face. His arms wound their way around you and his hands rested on your ass, pulling you closer to him. His teeth slid their way across your lower lip, eliciting a quiet moan from you. Spurred on by the sound, his mouth made its way across your jaw and down your throat, kissing and sucking as it went. You gasped at the sensation, letting out a particularly loud moan as he sucked hard at the junction between your neck and shoulder. Suddenly, you felt the press of the brick wall against your back, causing you to jerk from the contact. Levi pulled his face away, arms still wrapped around you.

                “Are you ok?” He asked, concern evident on his face. You nodded, unable to form coherent sentences at that exact moment. He smiled at your speechless nature. He moved his lips back to your jaw, tracing his way to you ear, nibbling on the lobe.

                “Do you want to come back to my place for a drink?” he murmured. You couldn’t help but laugh at the question, you state of speechlessness broken.

                “Levi, we both know that’s code for ‘want to come back to my place and fuck.’” At your statement, Levi buried his face in your shoulder and let out a shaky laugh. His laugh sent hot puffs of air across your bare neck, causing you to shiver. At your small movement, Levi pressed his lips against your neck again, licking his way back to the edge of your jaw.

                “So, Y/N? Want to come back… to my place… and fuck?” Levi whispered huskily in between his lips pressing against your jaw. Your first instinct was to say yes, but the realization dawned that this was actually your first time kissing Levi while dating, versus to keep up the ruse of your dating prank to the press. Relationships had not been present in your recent past, and you weren’t sure what to do when it came to the timeline of dating and fucking. When was the right time? Was there a right time? Did it have to be a planned out event? Was it supposed to be special for both parties? What if-?

                “Oi, Y/N, are you still with me?” Levi pondered while gently shaking your shoulders. “You’re over-thinking things again. I can see it on your face.” The look of concern had returned to his features and his hand moved to delicately grasp your cheek.

                “I don’t know how this kind of stuff works Levi,” you admitted and then had to clarify because of the instant confusion that moved to his face. “I know how sex works just fine. I know how hook-ups work. One night stands I’m great at, but I haven’t had a boyfriend since the 9th grade and the only obstacle I faced there was trying to kiss with braces. I don’t know the protocol for this kind of thing.” At your admission, Levi’s lips twitched into a small smile.              

                “Well at least we both are in the same boat. I’ve never had an actual girlfriend before now. Never wanted anything with the shitty pricks that showed up at the gym,” Levi explained. He pulled you closer with his other arm, which was still wrapped tightly around your waist. “If you want to do this then we’ll go back to my place and you’ll get to see first-hand if certain stats of mine are true or not. If not, that’s fine. We can do whatever you want, whenever you want.” Levi’s words made you feel warm and fuzzy, an uncommon feeling, but you liked it. Not many people took your feelings into consideration when it came to sex, other than your consent and preferences, and it was nice to have feelings factor into the situation for once.

                “Ok Levi, let’s go back to your place for that fucking drink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Hoped you liked this chapter! Please let me know in the comments where you think this story should go now that Levi and Reader are together!


	13. A Nightcap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh it happened. It finally happened. The smut is here people. Now some disclaimers. If you're under 18, DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER please and thanks. Also if there's a grammar or spelling error it's because I did not proof read this, because my own writing makes me cringe. Heavily.
> 
> Anywaaaaay, I hope you all like this chapter and please let me know what you think below in the comments (seriously I have no idea if this even turned out half decent or not)!

                The ride to Levi’s had been tense. The pent-up tension between you was palpable. Midway through the drive, Levi placed his hand on your thigh, squeezing it. The contact ignited the beginnings of a wetness at your core. As he continued to drive, his fingers inched upward, gently caressing the jean clad skin closer and closer to your arousal. Right as he was about to reach your core, the car came to a halt.

                “We’re here,” Levi stated with a smirk. You couldn’t help but giggle at his cockiness and noticed his eyes widened slightly at your laughter. A softer expression fell on his face as you both exited the vehicle. Grabbing your hand, he led you towards the lobby of the building. Levi nodded at the night guard and concierge while still pulling you towards the elevator. The doors opened and he hit the button for his floor. The second the doors shut, Levi pulled you close, arms running down to your ass as his lips found the spot on your neck that made you moan. Gasping, you pulled his face back to yours, lips meeting and tongues darting across each other’s lips.

                “Jump,” Levi instructed as the elevator doors opened. You leapt slightly, legs wrapping around his slim waist, lips moving to his jaw and teeth tugging at his earlobe. He groaned at your tongue trailing down his neck as he unlocked the door to his apartment and shut the door behind him.

                “Get down for a second,” Levi muttered.

                “Why? The almighty Levi Ackerman can’t carry me to bed?” you question with a giggle. His eyes heated at the mention of you in his bed, but the stern expression stayed present.

                “Baby I’ll carry you to my bed any time, but I’m not letting you walk around my apartment with your shoes on for any reason.” At this you unwrapped your legs and dropped back to the floor. Kicking off your shoes, you placed them carefully next to the ones he put down in the entryway. You turned around, glaring at him jokingly.

                “Really know how to kill a mood Le-,” you started but were cut off by Levi pushing you against the wall, his lips against yours, teeth tugging on your lower lip. He tugged on your ass, signaling for you to leap into his arms again. Your legs wound around him once again, and he carried you through the living room and down the hallway to his room. He kicked the door open and made his way to the bed, slowly laying you down when you reached it. His hands ran down your legs, pulling them away from him as he stepped back and pulled his shirt over his head. Your eyes roamed up and down his torso, taking in his sculpted abs and pecs.

                “Am I still killing the mood Y/N?” Levi questioned as he stood on the edge of the bed, folding his shirt and placing it on the nightstand next to him. Rendered temporarily speechless, you could only nod at his question. With a smirk, he leaned down over you, one hand supporting his weight and the other moving up your side under your shirt. The teasing hand ran up to the underwire of your bra, stroking the skin around your breasts. Slightly raising yourself, you pulled your shirt over your head and handed it to Levi, who was still hovering over you. His eyes widened in surprise at the gesture. Knowing he wouldn’t want you to throw your shirt on the ground, you gave it to him to fold with his.

                “Fuck you’re amazing,” He said after placing the folded shirt on the nightstand. His lips met yours and his hand ran up your bare stomach towards your bra again. Your hands roamed over his chest and stomach, reveling in being able to touch the rigid muscles. Levi’s hand moved towards your back, searching for the bra clasp. After a moment of his hand fumbling around, his mouth moved away from yours, a question in his eyes as to why he couldn’t find the clasp.

                “Front clasp,” you told him, arching your back and pushing your breasts out further. He happily groaned at your statement.

                “The inventor. Of the. Front clasp. Is a genius,” he muttered between kisses as he undid the bra, sliding his hand over your breasts as he pushed the cups away. You sighed at the light touch. His lips found yours again and then slowly moved down your jaw to you neck, softly sucking on the skin there. Tongue sliding along your collar bone, he moved down to your breasts, kissing the sensitive skin surrounding your nipples. A quick lick to your nipple made you gasp in delight and his mouth latched onto the bud, sucking and nipping it. After your nipples were a dark pink from his mouth, he trailed his lips down ward along your stomach, his eyes looking into yours with a heat you hadn’t seen from him before. By the time he reached the barrier of your jeans, he was kneeling on the ground between your legs. His hands ran up your thighs, cupping your core through the denim, causing you to writhe in anticipation. A wicked gleam was present in his grey eyes as he applied more pressure, causing your pants to begin to soak through from your wetness.

                “Levi, I have to wear these tomorrow,” you groaned, arousal only growing stronger. Levi chuckled.

                “I’ll wash them,” he responded while moving to the button and zipper on your jeans. Deftly, he undid the closures and began sliding down your pants slowly, gently maneuvering them over joints and off your feet.

                “You just shouldn’t wear underwear from now on,” He muttered while looking up at your dripping core. You moaned in agreement with his words as one of his hands drifted up your thigh again, his face following close behind. His fingers brushed against your wet slit, making you jump slightly at the contact. His finger began gliding up and down gently, skimming your clit. With each pass you got more impatient, wanting him to pay more attention to the bundle of nerves.

                “Levi please,” you ground out, body rigid with anticipation. He paused, eyes meeting yours, wicked gleam ever present, as his mouth latched onto your clit, sucking hard. You cried out at the sensation, back arching off the bed. His tongue lapped at the nub, building up the pleasure in the pit of your stomach. Moving down from your clit, his tongue circled your entrance, moving slowly and deliberately. He moved back up to where he had been, sucking and licking persistently, responding to your gasps and moans. You wound your hands through his hair, tugging lightly when he’d hit certain spots. The tugs caused him to moan as well, sending vibrations through you and causing you to get closer to the edge. After minutes of him doing this, you realized you weren’t reaching the very edge of the proverbial precipice that would send you off into the bliss of cumming.

                “Levi,” you beckoned. He responded with a sound of questioning while still lapping at your core. “C’mere,” you told him. He stopped his sucking and moved to hover over you on the bed, concern in his eyes, lips red and glistening from his work at your core.

                “Are you ok?” He asked, his hand stroking along the side of your face.

                “I’m great,” you said with a small giggle. “Ok I’m more than great. But I don’t think you’ll be able to get me off tonight. It’s nothing you did! Trust me, you’re doing fantastic. But maybe I’m a little nervous for some reason and I just am holding myself back subconsciously? I mean I haven’t really had any of this happen with someone I have feelings for, and I do want to have sex with you tonight, I really really do, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to get off and I don’t want you to think I don’t feel the same way you feel about me.” You ended your rambling with looking down slightly, unable to meet his eyes.

                “Hey,” Levi prompted softly, his hand moving to under your chin to make your eyes meet his. “I understand. Nerves can be tough sometimes and affect us more than we think. If you really do want to keep going tonight then that’s great and we’ll see what happens.” He paused, waiting for your consent or lack thereof. You nodded in response, happiness overwhelming you at his willingness to understand you. At your nod, his lips met yours in a soft, sweet kiss, which quickly heated up once again. One of your hands held his head to yours while the other ran down his chest to rubbing the erection through his pants. He groaned against your mouth at the touch, slightly bucking into your hand.

                “You’re wearing too many clothes,” you whispered as his mouth moved down your neck again. He grunted in agreement, standing up to remove his pants. You propped yourself up to look at him, as he slowly and teasingly undid his jeans and pulled them from his legs. The outline of his large erection was easily visible through his tight boxers.

                “Oh keep going,” you urged. “I’m enjoying the show.” At your prompting, he slid the boxers off, his large dick springing out in front of him.

                “Shit,” you cursed quietly at his size. It was as big as he said, and girthy as well. Your eyes widened at this development. Levi moved to lean over you again, crawling up your body until you were face to face.

                “I told you you’d see I wasn’t lying about it,” Levi told you, earning himself a wordless nod from you. “I’ll go slow, and if it’s too much, then just tell me and we can stop. The condom has some lube on it too, but if you want more, then I’ve got more.” You gave him your affirmation as he stood up and reached into the bedside table drawer, pulling out a condom. He ripped it open with his teeth and slid it onto his waiting dick. After doing this he paused, gazing at you lying naked in his bed.

                “You’re beautiful you know,” he told you as he got back on top of you. He kissed you again sweetly as he lined himself up with your entrance, running his cock up and down your slit, coating it in your wetness. You moaned against his mouth at the sensation and his words. Most of your hookups would call you “sexy” or “hot,” but it had been a long time since you had been told you were beautiful while having sex. The tip of his dick teased at your entrance, slowly sliding in. One of Levi’s hands guided his cock into you while the other began rubbing circles around your clit. You could feel the pleasure begin to build again at his rubbing and it distracted you from some of the pain you initially felt. Once you felt him bottom out, you both stayed still, waiting for your tightness to adjust to him. Levi was breathing hard from the sensation of being within you, and your walls fluttering around him as they tried to adjust. His hand kept working your clit and you felt yourself begin to relax and accept him without pain. You signaled to him it was ok to move and he began slowly thrusting, pulling himself almost all the way out before sheathing himself completely again.

                “Levi please go faster,” you begged him after a bit. At your request, his thrusts became quicker and harder, hitting your sweet spot and increasing your pleasure even further. Suddenly, you felt yourself near the edge, ready to topple over at any second.

                “Oh fuck! Levi keep going. Fuck, I’m gunna cum,” you ground out, spurring him on further. His thrusts never faltered and his fingers on your clit sent you spiraling over the edge, gasping and whimpering. For a moment, the thoughts in your head halted, and all you could feel were the explosions of pleasure happening in your core. After a few moments you returned to yourself and noticed Levi had slowed down, gently working you through your orgasm.

                “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” Levi told you as he paused his thrusts, leaning over you again. You giggled in response and moaned when he started moving again. This time Levi’s thrusts were more haphazard. His face contorted as he quickly drove himself into you. You prior orgasm enhanced the sensation of him drilling into you and you could tell he was close. With a grunt, he came, his thrusts slowing as he found his release. Once it was over, he buried his face in your neck, panting heavily. You wound your arms around him, holding him close as you both recovered from your orgasms. Once he had recovered, he kissed you softly, lips sweetly gliding over yours, before pulling himself from you.

                “I know it’s probably not what you want to do right now, but we need to shower. No one is getting under my covers post-sex.” Levi explained while removing the condom and throwing it in a waste bin by the bed. You understood he had a need to be clean and respected it so you stood without questioning. Your legs felt like jelly and you had to support yourself on the bedside table for a second. Levi made his way over to you and held you close, supporting and just feeling you near him.

                “Soooo does that mean I’m sleeping over again?” you pondered, already suspecting the answer.

                “Yes brat, you’re sleeping over again, but you’re staying in my bed all night this time. I’ll put your clothes in the wash and I’ll meet you in the shower.” He gathered the clothes and went to leave the room with you calling out after him.

                “So are we going to be braiding each other’s hair or talking about boys this time?” In response, Levi shot up his middle finger at you, not even looking back as he left the room, butt-naked. You stood in your place for a moment more, admiring the view as he retreated. With a smile, you went to the bathroom and started the shower, putting the water on warm and stepping in. You let the water wash over you, soothing some of the tenseness from your muscles that had formed during your romp in the sheets with Levi. You were happy with what had just happened. Ecstatic over what had been said and communicated as well. You heard the door to the shower open behind you and a pair of arms encircle your body from behind. Levi’s lips pressed against your shoulder and you leaned your head back against him, enjoying the contact between your bodies.

                “As much as I’d like to go another round, we might need to save it until morning,” Levi stated once his dick started to harden and press against your ass. “That plus the fight wore me out and I still have training tomorrow.”

                “Let’s just get clean and go to bed then,” you told him with a smile, lips connecting with his softly as he held you. Your shower didn’t last long. You helped each other soap up and rinse off, before wrapping yourselves into fluffy towels. Once you had dried off, Levi handed you one of his shirts to wear to go to bed in, as he put on short. While you pulled the shirt on, he climbed into his side of the bed, reaching for his phone to check it. You moved to the other side, pulling down the covers and tucking yourself in while doing the same with your phone. The first thing you noticed was a text from Erwin to you and Levi.

Erwin: Good job to both of you. You’re trending on twitter. Well done. Still on for milkshakes tomorrow at noon?

Levi: Sure old man. As long as Y/N isn’t otherwise occupied by me.

You opened the camera on your phone and snuggled up to Levi to take a photo. He groaned in annoyance and turned his head away from the picture as you smiled. You sent the picture to Erwin telling him you would both gladly be there in the morning.

Erwin: See Y/N can be an adult about this

Erwin: Wait are you in bed together?! Is that Levi’s shirt????

Y/N: Goodnight Erwin, we’ll see you in the morning (kissy face emoji)

                With a laugh you turned your phone onto silent and placed in on the bedside table before turning over to face Levi, who even had a small smile at Erwin’s reaction. You scooted towards him and pulled his face to yours, lips connecting briefly in a goodnight kiss. Without prompting, Levi wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close and encompassing you in warmth. You fell asleep with a smile on both of your faces.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_You were standing in Levi’s room, daylight streaming through the windows. You glanced around, searching for Levi, trying to figure out where he was. Footsteps approached from behind and you turned around, snarky comment at the ready, but it died on your lips at the sight of your brother._

_“What are you doing here?” you asked, fear creeping into your voice. He didn’t respond, but only smiled. His smile was menacing. Suddenly, rope appeared in one of his hands and you felt it magically constrict around your wrists even though he was still standing in the doorway. Your heart raced at the feeling, fear shooting through your veins. In the other hand one of your mother’s gardening gloves materialized, and you felt the sting of it hitting you across the face. He approached slowly, one drawn out step at a time. With every step you could feel the ropes tighten and the slaps on your face get harder. Hopelessness began forming at the realization you couldn’t move. All you could do was fall to your knees, crying out for him to stop and for someone to please help you. He reached where you were kneeling, and you felt blood dripping down your cheek from the invisible slaps of the hard glove. His smile somehow grew more menacing and he opened his mouth to finally speak._

                You jolted upright in bed, gasping for air. You could still feel wetness on your cheeks. Jumping up, you sprinted to the bathroom. You quickly turned on the light and stopped in front of the mirror. Once you saw it was only tears on your cheeks, rather than blood, your breathing slowed some. You bowed your head, trying to bring yourself back to reality, but jumped when Levi said your name. You whirled around to face him, eyes still wild and face still wet with tears.

                “Nightmare?” He asked, slowly moving towards you. You nodded in response, unable to speak.

                “Can I touch you?” he asked, wanting your permission on how to comfort you. You nodded again and he made his way to you. His hands moved to your cheeks, wiping away tears and stroking your hair back, soothing. He then pulled you close, arms hugging you to him, trying to provide support without speaking. You buried your head into his neck, breathing in the clean scent of soap off his skin. Once he felt you calm down he pulled away, saw the exhaustion on your face, and grabbed your hand, gently leading you back to bed. He held the covers up for you to crawl into bed and tucked you in before moving to his side of the bed. By the time he had gotten under the sheets, you were half asleep, the nightmare sapping up your energy. Levi wished you goodnight while holding you close from behind. By holding you this way, he knew he was giving you space to move or leave the bed if you needed to, while still providing comfort from behind. You mumbled your goodnight to him before completely falling into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked the never ending smut. I swear there was some plot there, not just porn and awkwardness.  
> Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think!


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